Death is Astonishing
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I've always wondered what would happen when we die. Unknown to me, I would soon learn all about death very soon. Death, and the Naruto World.
1. Chapter 1

**Got the idea from reading rebirth/self-insert fanfics and always wanted to do a Naruto one.**

* * *

 _Astonishing_. It's not a word someone would use to describe death, but it suited this moment exactly. I could have died in so many ways: peacefully, painfully, quietly, or screaming bloody murder. Yet, the way I ended up was just astonishing.

I had always wondered what it would be like to die, just to experience it. (Odd, right? Wanting to die?) But I knew better than to commit suicide. It wasn't a game where one had multiple lives or could just reset it and I knew I couldn't leave behind the people around me, so I decided to just wait until my time came. I didn't have to wait long though, when I went on a trip to Australia with some college friends of mine.

I am… well, _was_ 21\. My birthday was a week ago and my friends wanted to celebrate so, off we went. They knew I had always wanted to go surfing and one of my friends claimed to know the perfect spot. Unfortunately, that same spot just so happened to be near seal mating grounds. Anyone who has any common sense, knows that seals and sharks go hand in hand. Lucky little me, though, was drunk thanks to my friends.

I'd get into the details, but that has little to nothing to do with this at all and I'm sure a few people would rather I didn't. Besides, either way I died. No need for the details. It's what happened after that, that had me gapping, open-mouthed. I was in _nothing_. Absolute darkness, just floating around.

I assumed that I was on my back because, above me, there were flashes of scenery. First, was my family and friends. I watched as they all attended a funeral and how each of them went on with their lives. Then, I watched the life of shark that had attacked me. I hadn't expected that part, but it made sense to see what happened to my attacker. It also explained how ghosts were made. They were forced to watch as their attackers went on with their lives happily. Sadly, my fishy friend wasn't so lucky.

After I had died, he went on for a mostly normal life until he was captured by some supposed fishermen. They removed it's dorsal fin and dumped it back into the ocean where it was left to die. As the scenes stopped, I was somehow able to sit up on the inky blackness that surrounded me; as though I was on solid ground. Mentally, I wondered what made people do such cruel things to such beautiful creatures.

"Some would call it jealousy, but most would say it's greed."

Looking behind me, a man stepped forward. Simply clothed, with just ripped jeans, a button-down shirt, and a pair of sandals. He didn't look like much and his dark hair was in need of a trim, but it was his statement that intrigued me.

"What would _you_ say?"

He gave me a glance and looked up at the stars that were now splattered across the shadows.

"I would say… fear."

I nodded in agreement as I turned to the stars. "Fear of losing their place in the world, fear of being attacked, fear of losing their lives… There are many things to fear in the world. It's a shame people always pick the wrong ones."

"They are fear filled creatures, always living their own lives instead of someone else's."

"Yeah… So what now?"

"It all depends. What do you want to do now?"

I furrowed my brows and looked back at him to find him sitting in front of an easel with a lop-sided beret. Getting up, I went to look at his drawing. The odd thing was, it kept changing scenes as he painted.

A grey desert scene with dead trees littered about and a single crescent moon; a Japanese town lying underneath it. An elegant old English mansion with vines creeping up the side and a butler bowing in front of a parked carriage. Another grey scene with bones littering the ground and odd looking demons rolling dice. A violet shaded church with an expanse of waterways and even a bright pink mansion-looking school with people walking in and out in yellow dresses and periwinkle suits. Then, there was one that caught my eye. A single boy sitting on a swing in front of a school, dejectedly, as children were picked up by their parents.

My hand reached out and touched the painting without my knowing, slowly dragging itself down the boy's cheek as if to brush away the tears.

"People do such spiteful things without even knowing." Looking closer, I saw that the parents were glaring at the boy as they herded their children away from him. "And the people who do those things _while_ knowing are even worse."

"Is this your choice?"

I nodded, not really paying attention to _what_ I was agreeing to exactly, but it felt like the right answer. He smiled gently and stood as the painting and easel disappeared. His index finger tapped my forehead and a sudden blinding white pain erupted behind my skull. I fell into the black and stared up at the man standing above me, barely hearing his last words before I lost consciousness.

"Take good care of him."

* * *

My head pounded and my body felt like there was liquid fire pumping through it. Every twitch of my muscles sent a wave of pain to my skull and soon, I was just lying on the ground in agonizing pain. Staring upwards, I looked through the canopy of trees above me. I breathed in deeply, noticing that this wasn't the same smog filled air I was used to back home, enjoying the simplicity of things.

As the pain receded, I managed to sit up and get a good look at myself. I was now wearing a black shirt with a single long sleeve, the other one missing to show off my left arm, a pair of black pants, and a blood red scarf that covered my neck and lower part of my face. That, accompanied by a pair of black sandals completed my look and I shrugged, liking what God (that's who I was assuming that guy was) chose for me. What I wasn't happy about, was where he dropped me off.

"Yes. That wasn't very nice at all, leaving me lost in a world that I have no idea about."

I could swear I heard the man chuckling, but when it didn't stop I turned to find the source. That was when I suddenly decided that God had a really cruel sense of humor. The man in front of me looked more like a snake than I could've hoped for and I was suddenly reminded of Adam and Eve and the serpent. An odd thought, but hey, I had the trees and the snake all I needed now was for God to get his butt down here and save me. _But wait, that doesn't happen until after the snake. Crap._

"A different world? Hu… Interesting."

I stayed quiet, hoping he would lose interest, but that didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon as he slowly creeped forward. I got up to my feet quickly, searching for an escape since he obviously wasn't a 'good guy'.

"Oh, there's no point in trying to escape. You obviously aren't capable of such a thing seeing how you can't even control your chakra."

"Chakra?"

His grin grew in size and I mentally smacked myself for giving him proof that I wasn't from here. So, I did the best thing in this situation, I ran. It was exhilarating for the ten seconds it lasted. Apparently, my speed had increased greatly, but not fast enough to outrun snake man. I was hit hard in the stomach and doubled over as my vision started blacking out.

"Hopefully you'll last longer than my other experiments since you're not from around here."

I mentally cursed and slumped over in the man's arms.

* * *

For two years I was trapped in that dark place as Orochimaru—I learned—experimented on me. Sometimes I wondered where that God from before was and I'd curse him for dropping me off in this kind of situation, but I would swear I saw him sitting in my cell with me, painting. Then again, maybe I was hallucinating from whatever crap Orochimaru was giving me. But that gave me hope and I soon stop reacting completely to Orochimaru and his experiments. He even started to seem bored with me at one point and decided the next day would be my last, simply because I wasn't interesting to him anymore and because the experiments weren't working.

Truth was, they were working. I could _feel_ them working, but I held them back and it somehow didn't give Orochimaru the result he was looking for. Unfortunately, that just shortened my death date. I was ready though. I would leave here and not even he could stop me.

That night, I sat in my cell and focused my chakra into the palm of my hands. Both hands were covered in lightning and as I brought the bar between them and breathed out intense heat, I was able to warp the bar accordingly. Now, don't think I just learned this all over night. Like I said before, I was trapped here for two years and experimented on. Orochimaru made it a _point_ to find out my chakra natures to find out what experiments would work best on me. Needless to say, it gets boring sitting in my cell waiting for the next torture so I had begun planning and strengthening myself for this precise moment. He actually had this room sealed off so that I couldn't use chakra, but I noticed a year ago that these cells hadn't been kept up to date and I could use a little chakra. After another year preparing, I figured out how much chakra I needed to overpower the seals and kept it stored in my left arm before using it to get through the bars.

Anyway, now that I was out of the cell I needed to find a way out without attracting any attention. Luckily, attention grabbing was something I was _not_ good at. I swiftly ran away from where I knew Orochimaru stayed, assuming that he would want to be further back in his hideout should he be attacked. Assuming correctly, after getting lost a few times, I hurried as far from the hideout as possible. I knew there was someone who made rounds and the moment they learned I was gone, they would come after me if only to destroy the secrets my body now contained. It wasn't even a minute before I could smell people following me.

Ah, that's right, I never mentioned what experiments Orochimaru did on me. I won't go into detail, but he seemed to have a fondness with animals and liked calling me his mutt. So, I now had several wolf attributes such as heightened sense of smell and hearing. Other than that, he mostly did chakra and poison experiments which left me drained by the end of the day. Like today, for example.

The ninja caught up with me and I snarled from under my scarf, the one thing Orochimaru let me keep undamaged. One attacked with a chain weapon of some sort while the other two stuck to swords, kunai, and shuriken (weapons I had learned from my testing). Stopping in a small clearing, I faced them and didn't bother giving them any time to prepare before I killed the first one barehanded, taking his sword to use to fight the other two. I watched their movements, waiting for one of them to attack first and smirked when I guessed which one would attack first. Kunai were thrown and dodged as I went after the man but, just before I got to him, the chain weapon wrapped around my neck pulling me back. I did not appreciate this and gathered enough strength to pull the weapon from his hands, swinging it to clobber him in the head. I turned towards the last one with murder written in my eyes and the man ran off.

I didn't bother to chase after him and just hurried off before more Sound ninja came. I ignored the chain for now and soon reached a different plot of land. I wasn't familiar with the map of this world, but I assumed that this had to be another country of some sort and hurried to the closest sound of civilization.

The civilization I thought I'd found turned out to be nothing more than the crashing of a waterfall with two stone figures standing on either side. I didn't have much choice and jumped over the side into the water below, swimming to the opposite side of the waterfall where there was a small indent big enough to shelter me from my followers. I sat cross-legged and focused to make my chakra as small as possible. It fought against me, but I managed just as voices travel down from the top of the waterfall.

"Did you lose her?"

"Yeah. I lost her scent and I can't find her chakra source at all."

"Orochimaru's not going to be very happy."

"You think?! We're better off deserting like she did! Orochimaru will kill us for failing!"

I ignored their rambling as I listened to the crashing of the water before me. As the sun began to rise, I assumed that the men had left and came out from my hiding place. I removed the chain around my neck and fixed my scarf so that it was covering my nose and mouth again, before giving the chain a glance. _It wouldn't hurt to keep it. May come in handy._ I wrapped the chain around my exposed arm, made sure it stayed in place, and dashed off away from the torturous country of the Sound.

It was only a few days, before I found myself working as a cheap bodyguard for a group of travelers. They didn't pay me much, but I ate with them and slept with them and they didn't seem to mind my quiet nature nor my short answers. They mentioned that they were heading towards a hidden village called Konoha near the center of the Land of Fire. When I told them I wasn't educated of the ways of this world, they were more than eager to teach me.

I learned about the different countries and villages as well as how common 'ninjas' were. They taught me about what to expect should I go to these places and I was surprised at how little I truly knew. Ninjas, villages, chakra, I knew little to nothing about any of these and now I feel as though I could fill a book with my knowledge of them.

During our travels to Konoha though, we didn't encounter much trouble. There was a small group of bandits that attacked us, but aside from that, nothing. We were even able to reach Konoha in a little under a week. It would have been sooner, but we had run into some heavy rain at one point which waterlogged the roads and caused their carts to get stuck more than once.

The moment we reached the gates, I was in awe, having not seen something this big ever in my life; most of my life before this forgotten. The travelers I was with had explained to me before about the kind nature of this village and had told me time and time again that I should settle down here and become a ninja of this village instead of traveling for hire. It was only now that I'd seen the beauty of this place, that I actually considered the offer.

"Um, excuse me. Can I see your pass, sir?"

I didn't know the man was speaking to me nor the fact that he'd mistaken me for a male, being too focused on taking in the surroundings. Even if I did notice, I probably wouldn't have cared for the fact that he thought I was male. The travelers did as well, until they got to know me in our short time together. I suppose short, cropped hair and the scarf and baggy cloak covering my features weren't exactly lady-like. Oh well.

One of the travelers clapped me hard on the back and I somehow managed to keep steady as he laughed brightly.

"Ahaha! You shinobi must be getting worse, these days! This is the best damn woman bodyguard I've ever seen and she's with us, so there's no need to ask for her papers."

The two shinobi at the desk blushed and rubbed the back of their heads nervously.

"Sorry about that!"

"Yeah. We didn't know but, uh, welcome to Konoha!"

I nodded silently and walked with the travelers to help them unload their stock. The village was a nice change from the forest and smaller towns I had passed through, too. Different shops lined the main street and I passed quite a few houses as well on my way to deliver their goods. When we finished, it was only mid-afternoon and the head of the traveling group paid me and told me to head up to the 'Hokage's' building to see about finding a place to stay. I was reluctant, but didn't have much of a choice and started walking towards where he pointed. Lucky little me, having never been here before, got lost standing in front of a ramen stand.

I looked around at the people passing by, but didn't have the courage to actually go over and ask for directions. Then again, maybe I was just stubborn. _Yeah. Let's go with that._ With a small sigh, I started walking again, heading towards the giant mountain in some hopes of finding the building I was looking for. Instead, I found myself being ran into by a young kid wearing orange. He looked up at me as I looked down at him and we held each other's gazes before I suddenly recognized him from the painting.

"Hey you monster! Get back here!"

I looked up to see an angry older woman wielding a wicked looking broom as she headed in our direction. Looking down at the kids' frantic face as he searched for somewhere to escape, I couldn't help myself and ruffled his hair, surprising him. Just as the woman got closer and the kid was about to run, I pulled the kid behind me and stared back at the furious woman with a blank expression.

"Who're you? A traveler? Buzz off. I have some unfinished business with this brat."

I shook my head and she widened her eyes before hardening them into a glare.

"Fine! Then you take responsibility for that monster!"

I felt the boy flinch behind me and frowned behind my scarf before shaking my head once again. The woman did not take kindly to that and slapped me hard across the face before walking away in a huff. I sighed in response, rubbing my cheek, and turned to the kid behind me who looked at me with shock and admiration in his eyes. I knelt down to his level and ruffled his hair before handing him the sheet of paper with the traveler's horrible directions on it.

He took it and gave it a look before cocking his head to the side.

"You want to find the Hokage's office?" I nodded and he smiled brightly. "Sure! I'll take you there! As thanks for helping me with the old hag."

I rose a brow at his language, but shook it off as he started leading me in the opposite direction I had been going.

"Neh, neh, what's your name? I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna be the next Hokage! Believe it!"

I looked at him for a moment, blankly. I couldn't remember my old name and never associated myself with a new one. Naruto looked up at me in confusion.

"What? You don't have one or something?"

I nodded and his eyes widened. "What?! Are you serious?! We gotta come up with one then!"

He furrowed his brows as he thought and I silently wondered what would cause him to care so much about giving me a name after we had only just met.

"How about Ichigo?"

I shook my head, not wanting to be named after a fruit.

"Um… Dashi?"

 _That's a soup._ I shook my head again.

"Okay then, Higashi?"

 _Seriously? We're moving on to sweets now? I like the ending though._ I shook my head but pulled out a marker and wrote Shi on the back of my directions. He looked at it with an odd look.

"Shi?"

I nodded.

"Are you sure you want to use that character though?"

I nodded again. You see, the character I used was the one for death and I thought it suited me well, seeing how I had already died once. Naruto shrugged with a smile.

"If that's what you want. It's a cool name."

He opened a door and we walked into a large building, completely bypassing the man at the front desk and walking up a set of stairs. We arrived at a set of doors, but instead of knocking, Naruto just burst in yelling.

"Yo, old man! I brought someone who was looking for you!"

The elderly man at the desk looked up, annoyed at Naruto for interrupting, but curious as to who I was and what I wanted. Naruto turned back to me and smiled as he headed towards the door.

"Later, Shi! Thanks for helping me!"

I nodded and watched the Hokage silently as the door shut. I was a bit uncomfortable standing alone in this room with the supposedly strongest ninja in the village, but didn't show any signs that I was, hoping to stay on his good side in order to find a place to live here. The Hokage set down his work and sighed before gazing over at me.

"So what is it that you need from me, Shi is it? And I see the woman left her mark. Thank you for helping out Naruto."

I nodded, ignoring the stinging of my cheek and not questioning how the man knew what had happened, and instead held out the piece of paper that the traveler told me to give to him, since my traveler friend knew about my speaking problem. The Hokage took the parchment and looked it over before giving me a glance.

"You wish to live here?"

Nod.

"It says here that you don't have any paperwork, is that true?"

Nod.

"That may be a problem then. What village do you come from?"

A quick flashback of my time in the Land of Sound had me tensing up and I shook my head at the Hokage.

"Hm? You don't know or you don't have one?"

I tried to figure out how to tell him it was a bit of both without speaking, but there wasn't much I could do.

"Both."

He smiled softly. "So you can speak… Interesting. Ahem. So you have no knowledge of where you came from. You may have some form of memory loss but there is nothing we can do about that, unfortunately. How far back to you remember?"

I held up two fingers and he started guessing.

"Days?" _No._ "Weeks?" _No._ "Months?" _No._ "Ah, years then. How old are you?"

I flashed both hands twice and then held up three fingers.

"Twenty-three. Old enough to be a jounin, but you do not have much chakra so a civilian then."

I shook my head and he rose a brow. I took a deep breath and released my hold on my chakra, surprising the man and apparently someone else as well. I tensed at the sword at my throat, bringing my chakra back down to a civilian level and trying not to attack whoever was behind me, should that effect my chances of living here in the safety of the village.

"Let her go, Bird."

"But Hokage-sama—"

"Bird."

I slowly breathed in and out as I felt the sword slip away from my neck, and worked on clenching and unclenching my fists as I struggled to relax. The man behind me disappeared in a cloud of smoke and I struggled to control myself. I did _not_ deal well with things like that.

"I apologize about that. The Anbu can be a bit overprotective, but I am impressed with your chakra. I would appoint you to jounin level, but just because you have a high level of chakra does not mean you have the skills. Therefore—"

"Genin."

"Hm?"

"I-I am at genin level."

He looked surprised, but gave me a small smile in response.

"I see. In that case, I will have you join one of the new genin squads after graduation tomorrow as long as the council believes it is okay for you to stay here."

He began ruffling through his papers and seemed to have found the one he wanted, signing it and holding it out to me. I grabbed it to find directions to an apartment and permission for me to live there.

"Now, I just need you to tell me your full name."

"Shi."

"That's it?"

I nodded. "Naruto gave it to me. I don't have a name."

With that, I walked out, leaving a baffled Hokage sitting in his office. Once I got outside, I tried to follow the Hokage's directions, but ended up lost once again. I sighed and looked around. There were a few shops closing up now that dusk had fallen and bars were opening up, but I saw something in the nearby ramen shop that caught my attention. Sitting in one of the stools, was a familiar orange-clad kid. Stepping into the shop, I sat down next to him and decided to order some food.

"Shi! What are you doing here? What did the Hokage tell you?"

I graciously took my food and started eating from under my scarf as I handed Naruto my directions. He looked at them and sweat dropped.

"You got lost again?!" I nodded. "Gah, Shi! I really gotta take you on a tour of this place. It great that you're going to live here though! Now we can talk all the time!"

I smiled at his enthusiasm, but he didn't see it because of my scarf. It didn't matter though, because he started telling me all about where we were going to go tomorrow on our tour of the village. I listened, for the most part, mentally laughing as all he talked about were the best places to buy food, but soon we were finished eating and he showed me the way to my house. I waved to him as he left and handed me 'easy directions' to the academy where we were to meet for my tour.

 _That kid is pretty enthusiastic for being the same kid in that painting._ I went to the owner of the apartments and they handed me the key after I gave them the Hokage's seal. When I did reach my apartment, I noticed that it wasn't much but it was certainly better than the cell I stayed in. There was a decent sized kitchen already stocked with food and an actual bed in the bedroom, which I was grateful for, but I didn't know if I could actually sleep in it. Two years in a stone cell and a few months in the forest does that to you.

Yawning, I grabbed the blanket off the bed and went into the main room, where I curled up in a corner that was facing the door. I was tired, but my mind had a different idea and wouldn't stop thinking. When I finally did get to sleep, I was riddled by nightmares and woke up every few hours until the sun rose and I decided to just stay awake. I showered—the first since bathing in a river a few days ago—and made a quick breakfast before heading out early to try and look around, and maybe even find the academy by the time school got out. The school probably hadn't even started yet but, as you know, I have a horrible sense of direction.

My wandering ended up taking me to the middle of a forest and I relaxed while enjoying the sounds and smells of the forest. It was a first, seeing how the last few times I was in the forest I was running for my life or on high alert for attacks. I continued my stroll when I came upon a clearing with a dark colored stone. Leaning towards it, I noticed names written on it and assumed it was a grave site of some sort so I silently paid my respects. It was then I got a whiff of someone approaching and I hid up in the trees out of habit.

Glancing at the man who walked into the clearing, I looked him over carefully to determine if he was an enemy or not. He had silver hair that stood up and his left eye was covered by a Konoha headband, the lower part of his face hidden by a mask. He wore the typical green flak of a high level ninja and I guessed he was a jounin, which meant that he knew I was here. So why hide?

I jumped down and walked right past him as I exited the clearing. He didn't say a word, but I could feel his stare on my back as I headed back towards the sound of the waking village. I still had some money with me from being paid by the travelers yesterday and I was desperately in need of a change of clothes. Luckily, the owner of the store was a friend of the traveler I stayed with and she gave me a discount on my clothes leaving me with a little left over cash so I dropped them off at home, along with my traveling cloak, and I walked until I found the ramen place from before ordering some take out ramen. He gladly gave me some and pointed me in the direction of the academy since it was just about time they were let out.

I somehow made it there only a little bit late and I hopped on the wall to find Naruto. I found him on the swing, just like the painting, and I frowned when I heard the women below me speaking about him.

"Hey, that kid is _the_ kid. He was the only one who failed."

"Serves him right."

"If he becomes a ninja, it's only going to cause trouble."

Deciding enough was enough, I charged myself with electricity and jumped off the wall behind them. All I had to do was walk past them and their hair stood up on end from static electricity. They screamed and tried to calm their hair down as I smirked under my scarf and headed over to the swing with my hot bowl of ramen. I sat down in front of him and he immediately perked up at the smell of ramen.

"Is that ramen?!"

I nodded and handed him the bowl and a pair of chopsticks. It took him maybe seconds to finish the bowl and he licked his lips, smiling when he saw the two women from before.

"Ahaha! Did you do that, Shi?!" I nodded again and he laughed harder. "You gotta teach me to do that!"

I smiled slightly behind my scarf and stood up only for Naruto to frown and rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Um, Shi, I'm really sorry but I promised Mizuki-sensei that I'd talk to him later and—"

I cut him off by ruffling his hair and nodding. I understood.

"I promise I'll take you on a tour later, Shi!"

He got up and hugged me, surprising me, before running off with a wave.

"And thanks for the ramen!"

I waved back, still in a bit of shock at the unannounced form of affection and barely noticed when someone tapped me on the shoulder. Standing behind me was a man around my age with brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and a scar across his nose. He was a chunin or jounin and I blinked at him blankly.

"The Hokage wants to see you."

Nodding, I walked over to where the Hokage was watching the group of kids with this newcomer. I was cautious of him, but he seemed nice enough so I relaxed a bit. The Hokage smiled at me and I nodded in return as he spoke to the two of us.

"Iruka, this is Shi and she will joining one of the new genin teams this year."

"Um, okay, but why a genin team? Shouldn't she be with the jounin?"

"I would have done such, but she claims to be genin level so I will have her train with them. Shi, I want you to meet with Iruka here at the academy tomorrow morning to be sorted into a team. You will train with your team and do missions with them as well, but I want you to take extra training sessions with the jounin. They will be informed of your circumstances. I also wish to confirm something with you, but it would be better to do so in my office. Iruka, I wish to speak with you as well, but could you wait until I finish with Shi?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

He bowed and I walked off with the Hokage discovering that the academy wasn't that far from his office. _I'll have to note that for later._ We entered his office and he sat down behind his desk while I stood across from him. Suddenly serious, He looked up from his paperwork and stared me down.

"There are rumors of a man in a red scarf with a chain wrapped around his left arm and a sword running in the Land of Fire from the Land of Sound. While you are not a man, the description fits so I ask you, what were you doing in the Land of Sound?"

I took a step back, the flashbacks hitting me like a tidal wave, and shook my head. He sighed and his stare relaxed slightly.

"If you do not tell me, I will have no choice but to retract my previous statement and put you in confinement."

My eyes widened as the image of my cell returned and I tried to find a way out of this. I couldn't go back into a cell. I didn't know how I would react if I did so the only thing I could do was tell the truth. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists before nodding at the Hokage.

"Good. Now tell me what happened, Shi."

"Orochimaru."

The Hokage tensed and his hard stare returned. "What did he do, Shi? I need everything you can give me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and lifted up the bottom of my shirt to expose the scars that lined my stomach and side. The Hokage stared wide-eyed before his whole face softened.

"Experiments. Kami, Shi. I'm sorry."

I dropped my shirt and shook my head and held my scarf down so he could see my sad attempt at a smile, large canines peaking out from under my top lip and a scar trailing up the side of my face. I let go of my scarf as the Hokage sighed.

"You've been through quite a bit, Shi. Is there anything at all that you could tell me about him?"

I shook my head. I'd been kept in a cell and Orochimaru was sure to keep me out of any conversation he had. I literally knew nothing.

"Well, that shouldn't change much. I'll still allow you to become an official ninja of Konoha, but I'll have to inform the jounin in charge of your team—"

I shook my head and he frowned.

"I have to, Shi. Should your team get attacked by Orochimaru, I would want your jounin to be informed."

I lifted my shirt and pointed at the scars and shook my head again.

"If you wish, I will not tell them about the experimentation, but you will still be treated as someone who needs to be watched."

I nodded and he informed me that I could leave since it was getting late and he still needed to talk to Iruka. I left without a problem and wandered around searching for my apartment. The moon got higher in the sky and I frowned, searching for the familiar scent of the apartment complex. Instead, I spotted several shinobi jumping across the roofs. One of them jumped down in front of me and I recognized him as Iruka from before.

"Shi, right? Have you seen Naruto?"

I shook my head and he sighed, getting ready to leave when I grabbed his sleeve. He stopped and turned towards me confused until I handed him the paper with the directions that I kept on me, despite the fact that they don't help me at all. He looked at them and sweat dropped.

"You're lost?" I nodded and he sighed. "Okay. I don't really have time, but I'll drop you off at your apartment. Grab my arm."

I did as he said and in a puff of smoke we were in front of my apartment. _I seriously need to learn that._ I bowed in thanks and he dashed off, leaving me to wonder why he was looking for Naruto in the first place.

* * *

The day after next, I woke up a little late and forgot my directions to the academy so I had to try and find it myself. I was doing pretty good, but—Ah, who am I kidding, I was lost. _Again_. By the time I got there, I was two and a half hours late. As I walked into the classroom, Iruka smacked his face.

"Shi, you're two and a half hours late." I nodded. "You got lost, didn't you."

I nodded again and he sweat dropped, as did most of the class when Naruto slammed a foot on his desk and pointed at me.

"SHI?!"

I waved and Naruto's jaw dropped. Iruka told him to sit down properly and handed me a black Konoha headband which I tied around my head before he cleared his throat to get the students' attention.

"Now class, this is Shi who will be joining us for the little time we have left together, as the Hokage ordered. Shi, you will on Team Seven."

"Yosha!" Naruto yelled with a fist pump. "Shi! Shi! Sit over here!"

I rose a brow at Naruto, but sat behind him only for Iruka to say that we were to all go on break until the afternoon. I stood up and Naruto smiled brightly at me. I looked down at him and ruffled his hair before heading out the door.

"Neh, neh. You wanna help me take down Sasuke-teme?"

I shook my head, guessing that Sasuke was the dark haired boy that just left when my stomach growled, causing Naruto to laugh at me.

"Didn't you bring any food, Shi?"

I shook my head and he told me to wait as he hurried to his bag. I stood there a bit confused until he returned with an onigiri and a big smile.

"Here ya go, Shi!"

I pointed to him and he just smiled again.

"It's okay Shi! I got another one!"

I took the food from him and ruffled his hair in thanks before he dashed off saying something about finding Sasuke. I shrugged and decided to walk around the school, so as not to get too lost before our jounin instructors came to get us. Unfortunately, I got pretty lost just _inside_ the school and ended up not finding the classroom until late. What can I say, it was a _huge_ school.

When I did find the classroom again, a chalkboard eraser fell on my head and I stared blankly at Naruto who was laughing. Glancing around the room, I noticed that we were the only ones left and I picked up the eraser, chucking it at Naruto. It hit him in the forehead, knocking him off the desk he was sitting on and the other two genin laughed; or in Sasuke's case smirked.

"Shi! What was that for?!"

I shook my hand through my hair and let the chalk dust fall, telling him I wasn't exactly happy about his little prank. He chuckled a bit before going to replace the eraser in the doorway. I sighed quietly, knowing that Naruto had not learned his lesson, but I didn't remove the eraser and just sat on a desk to try and get more chalk dust out of my hair. It wasn't long before someone poked their head through the doorway, earning the same fate as me. I looked up and was surprised to find the same man from my walk a few days ago closing his eyes in thought with a hand on his chin.

"Hm, how should I say this… My first impressions of you guys is… I hate you."

Everyone was unamused but we headed up to the roof as the jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke. When I reached the top, I leaned up against a tree while the others sat on the stairs and the jounin sat on the railing.

"Let's see, why don't you introduce yourselves."

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?"

The jounin held out his hands, palm up. "What you like, hate, your dreams, and hobbies. Something like that."

He folded his arms and Naruto spoke up first.

"Neh, neh, why don't you introduce yourself first?"

"Me? Hm, I'm Kakashi Hatake. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream… I have few hobbies."

The pink haired girl scowled. "So all we found out was his name."

Kakashi ignored them. "Now it's your turn. You first."

He nodded towards Naruto and I barely paid attention as all he talked about was ramen. The girl, Sakura, wasn't much better, stumbling through most of it with giggles and blushes at Sasuke; though she did mention hating Naruto at one point. Sasuke went next and the atmosphere turned tense as he spoke about getting revenge on someone. Everyone was quiet until Kakashi spoke up again.

"Alright, um, next?"

He pointed at me and I just stared back blankly without a sound.

"Neh, Kaka-sensei? Shi doesn't talk."

He tilted his head slightly and stared at me before giving, what I assumed was, a smile.

"Well, it's going to be hard to be a team without communication, now isn't it?"

I knew he had me there and I sighed.

"I am Shi."

The whole group turned dead quiet with shocked expressions on their faces aside from Kakashi, who was still smiling, and Sasuke who didn't react much at all to begin with.

"Shi! You spoke!"

"Let Shi finish, Naruto." Kakashi said.

"I like…food." Cue sweat drop. "I dislike… snakes. Hobby… I have none. Dream…"

I grew quiet, having never really thought of a dream my whole life. I never knew what I wanted to do in the future and even now I wasn't sure. The only thing I could come up with was, "To live."

They all gave me a look, but I could care less what they think. They would learn soon enough just how hard it is to just live and enjoy the life you were given.

"Okay. You four all have unique personalities. I like that. We are going to begin a mission tomorrow."

"What kind of mission is that?!" Naruto shouted with a salute.

"First, we are going to do something that we five can do."

"What, what, what, what is it?"

"Survival training."

I sighed quietly to myself as the other three began questioning why.

"This is no ordinary training."

"Then what kind of training is it?"

Kakashi began laughing and I raised a brow in confusion. He obviously found something amusing, but I couldn't quite fathom what it was.

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you four are going to be surprised."

I doubted anything he said could surprise me and even if it did, I wouldn't show it. I silently watched as he grew deadly serious and stared at us passively.

"Out of the 27 graduates, only nine are going to become genins. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of 66%." He then made fun of the other three's expressions. "See? You three are surprised! Shi's expression is the only boring one."

I stared at him blankly and unamused as the others started freaking out.

"No way! I went through so much trouble… Then what was the final exam for?"

"That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become a genin."

"What?!"

"Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5AM."

I mentally scowled at the time and the place, knowing that I was going to be late since I got lost so easily. I knew that if I wanted to be on time I would have to leave now and try to find the training grounds, but then I wouldn't get any sleep; not that I got much sleep to begin with. As I thought that over, Kakashi ended the meeting but then turned around for a last minute instruction. I didn't hear it, completely absorbed in my thoughts, and didn't even notice that the others had all left except Kakashi.

"Hey. Shouldn't you be heading home?"

I blinked out of my reverie and looked up at the man before handing him the directions I _did_ bring. He looked them over and gave me a confused glance. I sighed and took them back, heading off myself to try and find my way back without his help. As I did, I noticed he was following me, recognizing his scent as the wind changed directions. Ignoring him, I started walking around until I was lost again and he finally decided to help me.

"You took a wrong turn back there."

I nodded and turned to go back the way I came, but he blocked my way.

"I'll take you back. It's over by where I live anyway."

He took me home and I bowed my head as I went upstairs to my apartment. I was tired, but I knew that I needed a head start if I was going to arrive at the training grounds on time. And by head start, I mean leaving now and hoping I get to the right training ground by dawn. I sighed to myself and started walking through the village in search of the designated meeting area and, of course, it wasn't long before I realized I was lost. _I can see it now. Me on a mission and I end up being found dead, countries away from where I was supposed to be because I got lost._ I sweat dropped and squatted on the ground a bit further away with a little cloud of depression hovering over me.

"U-Um, e-e-excuse me? Are y-you okay, S-Shi?"

I looked up, recognizing my name, but not the timid girl standing in front of me. She had short dark hair and pale eyes, and was wearing a tan jacket with her headband sitting around her neck. Cocking my head to the side, I gave her a confused look and she seemed to understand.

"I-I'm Hinata Hyuuga. I w-was in Iruka-sensei's class. U-Um is there something w-wrong? Why are y-you sitting here?"

I searched through my pockets before pulling out a notepad and a marker, writing '3rd training ground' on it before showing it to her.

"A-Are you lost?"

I nodded and got up, pocketing the pad and marker as she offered to walk me to the training grounds. She was extremely quiet and didn't say anything, but it was a comfortable silence and I didn't mind; not being much of a talker myself. By the time we reached the grounds, I was able to find a nice place that I could nap. I waved her off with a short 'thanks' surprising her when I actually spoke. She timidly waved back and left as I settled in for the night.

* * *

"Good morning…"

"Hey…"

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all met up in the center of the training grounds half asleep. After a few hours, Sakura seemed more awake but Naruto was still dozing off. It was then that Sakura noticed something. She nudged Naruto's shoulder.

"Hey, Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"Where's Shi?"

"Hm?" Naruto looked around before throwing his hands up in the air. "Ah! That Shi! He totally ditched training to sleep in! I know it!"

Naruto, being the clueless guy that he is, didn't know Shi was a woman and thus neither did anyone else aside from the jounin, her traveling friends, and the Hokage.

Sakura seemed confused. "He wouldn't do that."

"You don't know him, Sakura. He'd do just about anything to sleep in. I tried to wake him up so I could take him on a tour around the village and…"

Naruto trailed off as a dark cloud settled over him. Sakura, and even Sasuke, was curious.

"Uh, what happened?"

Naruto turned his head to look at her, skin deathly pale. "He pulled out a kunai and threatened to…"

He placed his hands over his crotch and turned away. Sasuke paled a few shades and Sakura looked scared to death as to the truth behind what Shi was really like. Kakashi decided to show up then and the three students stood up angrily and yelled.

"You're late!"

"A black cat crossed my path, so—"

The three glared at him and growled, showing their displeasure as he cleared his throat.

"Let's move on… Huh? Where's Shi?"

There was a loud 'thud' heard behind them and they all turned around to see Shi upside-down on the ground with leaves falling from the tree above her.

"Ouch."

She blinked her eyes open and noticed the group looking at her confused. Kakashi spoke first, probably the only person able to speak at the moment.

"Uh, did you sleep here?"

She righted herself and nodded, rubbing her head as she yawned.

"Mm, tired."

The four sweat dropped and Kakashi just decided to move on. Setting an alarm clock down on a stump, he pushed the top down.

"Alarm set at 12pm." He then held up three bells. "Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me. Whoever can't, will have no lunch."

Naruto's eyes widened and he took a few steps back from Shi, pulling Sakura with him.

"Naruto! What are you—"

He shakily pointed at Shi and Sakura followed his sight to find her standing there normally, but the amount of killing intent radiating from her had even Kakashi swallowing a lump in his throat. _I think I found_ her _motivation… so I should probably_ not _mention that I will eat lunch in front of them._

"But why are there only three bells?" Sakura asked, finally coming out of her fear of Shi.

Kakashi smiled. "Since there's only three, at least one of you will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he failed to complete the mission. That person will go back to the academy. It might just be one or all four. You can use your weapons. You won't be able to get this unless you have the will to kill me."

They all felt the killing intent rise from Shi and they suddenly knew who their main competition would be. Sakura, once again, spoke up first.

"But that's dangerous, sensei!"

"Yeah! You couldn't even dodge that chalk eraser!" Naruto laughed.

"In society, those who don't have many abilities tend to complain more. Just ignore the guy with the lowest score." Naruto frowned. "We're going to start after I say 'Ready, start'."

Shi gave Naruto a glance, just as he dashed towards Kakashi. The other two genin were surprised, but Shi just watched carefully. Kakashi twisted Naruto's hand that was holding the kunai around and grabbed his head.

"I didn't say 'start' yet."

He released Naruto and the genin took a step back. _I couldn't even see him._ Sakura thought while Sasuke smirked. _So this is a jounin…_ Shi simply stood and started thinking. _He's fast, but bored. They're not enough of a challenge for him. I'm possibly faster, but I have very few jutsus to work with and I mostly used taijutsu and tricks to get past previous foes. So I need some help from someone who knows jutsus. Sasuke is stubborn and probably will be the hardest to team up with despite that he's my best option. Sakura's too infatuated with Sasuke to be of much use and I don't know about her skills aside from book smarts. Naruto's my only bet._

"Start!"

* * *

Everyone seemingly dashed off and hid, but Naruto and I stayed where we were. I, though, was quite a bit _quieter_ than Naruto.

"Come and fight me!"

Kakashi gave an exasperated look. "Hey, aren't you two a little weird compared to the rest? I can guess why Naruto's standing out here, but why are you standing here, Shi?"

"No point in hiding from an enemy that can easily find you."

Kakashi brought a hand to his chin, nodding. "I see. I suppose that makes sense."

"Shut up! What makes no sense here is your haircut!"

Naruto charged, but stopped when Kakashi reached into his weapon pouch. He was cautious, but I didn't sense any threat from Kakashi yet.

"Ninja tactic know-how number one, taijutsu. I'll teach you that first."

Kakashi then pulled out a familiar orange covered book. I blinked as Naruto stood there confused.

"What's the matter? Come and get me. You're welcome to fight me as well, Shi."

"Wait, wait. Why'd you take out a book?" Naruto asked.

"Why? I got curious as to how the story is going to develop."

"Is it any good?"

He looked up at me in surprise. "What?"

I pointed to the book. "I almost got it."

"Well, uh, yeah. I think it is anyway. Most… uh, _people_ like you wouldn't like it though. Anyway, don't worry about me reading. It's the same whether I read this or not."

Naruto charged, offended by that statement but every attack of his was either blocked or dodged. He suddenly stopped though, when he didn't have a visual of Kakashi. I didn't move as Kakashi spoke from his crouched position behind him.

"A ninja should not let the enemy get behind him multiple times, idiot."

I saw him making a fire hand sign, but Kakashi has kept his word so far regarding the rules he created and I doubted that he would give any extensive damage to a group of kids. _Me on the other hand, I'm not too sure about._ _If he goes weak on me though, I'll kill him._ I heard Sakura shout and frowned at her for distracting her teammate during a battle and exposing her position. _The easily distracted are always the first to get killed._ Kakashi shouted some attack name and shoved his fingers up Naruto's… well… butt. That even caused me to sweat drop and I slowly began walking towards the small lake that Naruto had fallen in. Bypassing Kakashi on the way, he asked me a question.

"Why didn't you help him?"

"He must learn."

I hopped onto the water and walked over to where Naruto was. I nearly got impaled by a couple shuriken, but I reached in and pulled him out with a scowl, covered up by my scarf. He chuckled a bit and apologized while I dropped him off at the shore in front of Kakashi.

"Hey, what's wrong? If you don't get a bell by noon, no lunch."

My killing intent increased again at the mention of no food. You learn to be _very_ protective of food after hardly being fed for two years. Deciding to see how this turns out between the two of them, I jumped towards a tree and took a seat on a low branch and waited as they spoke of the food that I _really_ wanted, until Kakashi turned his back to Naruto.

"I'm going to become a ninja!"

Bunches of Naruto's jumped out of the lake and attacked Kakashi, but I smelled Kakashi's scent above me; being cautious enough to not let him know I knew he was there. _Surprise is always the best element_. The Naruto clones started fighting and I waited patiently, ignoring the glare of light flashing on the bell Kakashi let fall to the ground. When Naruto finally released the jutsu, he stood there confused for a moment until he saw the bell. _I knew he was a bit thick, but really Naruto?_

He reached for the bell and a rope wrapped around his ankle, lifting him so that he was hanging upside-down from the branch I was sitting on. Kakashi jumped off the branch and I watched as he lectured Naruto and picked up the bell. Some shuriken came out and hit him, but he had 'substituted' again.

Now, I don't know much about the basic ninja arts. I know about the elements and the clones but, other than that and the ones I know, I don't know about these 'substitutions' or most other jutsus he decides to use. In other words, I was at a major disadvantage and only had my two years of torture to use against him. The only thing I _could_ do was team up with someone who had some idea about what they were doing.

I sighed again, as I watched Naruto mumble to himself as he cut the rope to the first trap. I say first, because he immediately fell for the second one. I sniggered and jumped down from my place above him, kicking him once so that he spun around in a circle.

"Shi! Don't just spin me! Get me down!"

"You'll help me?"

"What?! I gotta go get that bastard for makin' fun of me!"

I frowned and started walking away. I mentally counted down the seconds when he finally yelled.

"Wait! Wait! I'll help! I'll help! Just get me down!"

I gave him an innocent closed-eye smile and swung my sword at the rope, easily cutting through it and dropping Naruto to the ground.

"Ouch! Shi! What was that for?!"

"Falling for the trap. Both of them."

He pouted and rubbed the back of his neck as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

"So, what do you need help with?"

I wrote the plan on my note pad and he smiled brightly.

"Yosha! Then let's go!"

I nodded and tracked Naruto's scent as he went to where the lunches were, in order to wait for me. Sasuke's scent was a bit further off so I made a clone to get him and headed towards Sakura's to find her under a genjutsu. I immediately knew it was a genjutsu because so many had been used on me and I shivered at the memories. I didn't know how to release her from it though, so I put her on my back as my clone informed me Sasuke was buried up to his head, which was an odd picture. I checked for Kakashi's scent as I carried Sakura back towards the main area and groaned when I discovered him to be right by Naruto's scent. _That idiot. Probably went to eat the lunches and fell for another trap._ I got to the clearing just as Kakashi finished tying Naruto to the log, gaining his attention.

"Oh? Shi, you decided to show up? I thought you were going to end up not doing anything."

Setting Sakura to the ground, I saw Kakashi raise a brow. I ignored it and pulled out my long sword. He still had his book out, but I'd make sure he'd put it away. Crouching low to the ground, I took a more animalistic stance, then, I charged.

Instantly, I was in front of him and swung my long sword vertically upwards just barely getting a nick on his chin. His eyes widened, as did Naruto's, but I didn't give him a chance to react as I twisted the sword in my grip and swung it horizontally just above his knee caps. He dodged again (putting his book away) and I spun around, launching my kunai in his direction before stopping. He had easily dodged it and raised a brow as I stopped.

"You missed."

"Not quite."

I put my fingers in a cross formation, exactly like Naruto's kage bushin. The only difference was, Naruto was the one who spoke. Kakashi turned around, realizing that I had been aiming to free Naruto this whole time as a group of Narutos grabbed him. He simply smirked.

"You really think I'm going to fall for this a second time?"

I shook my head and smirked devilishly, charging towards him. He easily did a substitution, but I was ready for that and threw my sword at the tree where his scent turned up. He dodged to the left like I had planned, and was met by me as I grabbed the three bells and ripped them off. He grew serious and managed a good kick to my stomach only for me to explode into water and the bells falling down to the actual me, who was waiting below. The timer went off, just as I dangled them up for him to see and his visible eye widened in shock.

"Water clone."

I nodded and tossed one of the bells to Naruto. He smiled brightly and I noticed Sakura was awake and still in shock at witnessing me fight. I tossed her a bell as well. Sasuke walked into the clearing; my clone having informed me that it had helped dig him out of the ground. He glared at me, but I threw the last bell to him as well and went to sit on the stump Naruto had been tied to. The three of them stared at me as I sat there and yawned.

"Uh, okay then. It looks like none of you are going back to the academy." Kakashi said.

All of them were happy for a moment, except for me, as Kakashi shot them down.

"Does that mean we all…"

"Yup, all four of you should quit as ninjas."

They all sat in shock at what he just said, but I still looked unperturbed. I _technically_ had a side job I could return to if needed.

"Quit being ninjas?! What do you mean?! Shi got the bells! Why do we all have to quit?!"

"It's because three of you are just kids who don't even deserve to be ninjas and you, Shi, are an adult who shouldn't have even tried at this level."

I flinched, but said nothing. Sasuke, on the other hand charged at Kakashi and was just about to be pinned down when I jumped between them. Sasuke wasn't able to stop in time and his kunai went straight through my left palm. The only reaction I gave him that I'd been hit though, was a small wince as I glared at the Uchiha.

"You're proving his point."

Kakashi glared as well "Do you guys think being a ninja is easy? Why do you think we're training by breaking up into groups?"

"What do you mean?"

I growled as I walked away from Kakashi and Sasuke, pulling out the kunai in my hand.

"Teamwork. The bells were to turn us into enemies."

Kakashi nodded. "That's right, but it's too late to notice now. If all of you came at me at once, maybe you could have gotten a bell. Shi was the only one who even tried. Sakura!"

"Y-Yes?!"

"You only cared about Sasuke and fell for a genjutsu trap easily, which left you vulnerable. You should be glad that Shi returned to bring you here. If that was a real mission, you could've died without Shi. Naruto! You just tried to do everything by yourself. Even when Shi asked for your help, the only reason you didn't turn her away was because she was forced to blackmail you."

"Wait! Shi, you're a girl?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Never asked." I glared at Kakashi for the slip up, but he just continued.

"Sasuke! You assumed everyone else was going to burden you and did everything by yourself. And Shi."

I looked at him blank faced as he sighed.

"Shi, I understand why you didn't work together with Naruto in the beginning in order to teach him a lesson, but in a real battle, that move could have cost him his life. You also abandoned Sasuke while he was fighting an enemy he couldn't handle."

I nodded, somewhat eager to learn from my mistakes but knowing that not all mistakes are worth the price of the knowledge.

"But—" I looked up in interest. "—you were the closest to knowing the meaning behind this training. You also have some very unique skills that I wouldn't have expected from you. I also, am glad that you took the initiative to risk yourself by going back for Sakura. The only question I have for you is… why did you give up the bells instead of keeping one, if not all of them, for yourself?"

I looked at the three genin and then down at my bleeding hand. I had thought about that as well the moment I thought up the plan to get the bells. _What would I do if I got them all? What would I do if I only got one? Would I give them away or keep them for myself?_ Looking back up at Kakashi, I stared back at him completely serious.

"They are the future."

He looked surprised at my answer, but continued with his lecture.

"I see. Well, teamwork is what is important! An individual action that disrupts the teamwork will result in danger or even death for the teammates. You just saw an example when Sasuke here rushed out. Shi was put into danger and then there will be other situations. For example…"

Kakashi took out a kunai and pinned Sasuke down to the ground with the kunai at his neck.

"Sakura! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

She gasped, finally realizing the kind of situation she could have ended up in.

"These kinds of situations _will_ happen."

He removed the kunai, but continued to keep Sasuke pinned as he spun the kunai.

"After getting someone taken hostage, you will be faced with a difficult decision and someone will die." He put the kunai away and stood. "In every mission, you put your life on the line"

He walked over towards the black stone nearby and continued.

"Look at this. The numerous names carved into this stone. All these names are those praised as heroes in this village."

Naruto started getting all excited, but I stayed quiet. Even I knew that this was a gravestone despite being in the village for no more than a few days.

"But they were no ordinary heroes."

"So what kind of heroes were they?"

Kakashi was quiet for a moment, but Naruto pushed for an answer; ignoring the tensed atmosphere around us.

"Those who were K.I.A."

"Killed in action." I muttered as I started bandaging my hand.

Naruto immediately sobered up and Kakashi spoke in a softer tone.

"This is a cenotaph. The names of my friends are carved in here as well."

Naruto struggled not to cry and Sakura stayed unusually quiet.

"I'll give you one more chance. However, the battle for the bell will be much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch only if you are up for the challenge… But! Don't let Naruto have any."

"EH?!"

"This is punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat lunch early. If anyone feeds him, the person will immediately fail. I'm the rule here, got it?"

Naruto was retied to the post and the bentos were handed out. I stared at mine for a moment before setting it down and getting up. The others looked at me confused and Sakura spoke their thoughts.

"What are you doing, Shi?"

I put a finger to my lips and they went quiet. I sniffed the air and listened closely, ignoring Kakashi's scent nearby once again. I found what I wanted and pulled out a kunai, throwing it before going after it. The genin stared at me in shock until I came back with a rabbit. I carried it with me for a moment before returning to the clearing with a small assortment of wood. After easily starting a fire, I skinned and roasted the rabbit as well as threw a kunai at Naruto's ropes; freeing him.

"W-What are you doing, Shi?!"

I looked at Sakura and gave her a closed-eye smile, pushing my bento towards Naruto.

"B-B-But we're not supposed to give him any food!"

I shook my head. "We cannot give him our lunch. This is my lunch, not that."

I took the rabbit out of the fire and started eating from under my scarf. Sakura and Sasuke also started to share their food with Naruto when a sudden cloud of smoke appeared, snuffing out my small fire. I didn't care though, I was too busy trying to protect my food. Kakashi came out as the smoke and wind died down.

"You three! You broke the rule. Are you prepared for the punishment?"

He did a few hand signs and dark clouds appeared overhead with thunder and lightning lighting up the sky. The storm made my blood pump excitedly, as though it was giving me energy and I was eager to be a part of it.

"Any last words?"

Sakura was shaking and Sasuke looked ready for a fight, while Naruto sat there trying to protect his friends.

"But! But! But! But!…You said—that's why Shi and them…"

"We're a four man team, right?"

"Yeah! We four are one!"

I gave Sakura an odd look at the weird phrasing, but shrugged it off.

"Don't abandon a teammate."

"Is that so?"

Kakashi started forward and Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and I all stood together ready to fight if need be; myself still eating my rabbit. He gave us a once over and smiled.

"You pass!"

"Pass? Why?" Sakura asked, confused.

"You four are the first." Kakashi said as the clouds cleared. "People I had previously were blockheads who just listened to what I said. 'Ninjas need to think beyond the normal.' In the world of ninja, those who break the rules are called scum… but those who don't take care of their friends are even worse scum."

Sakura was beyond excited, while Sasuke just smirked. Naruto though, looked ready to cry.

"H-He's kind of cool."

"The training ends here. Everyone passes. Team Seven will start doing missions starting tomorrow!"

He gave us a thumbs up and everyone celebrated as he turned around and started walking away.

"Let's go home."

I nodded and caught up with him. He started eyeing my rabbit though and I frowned, pulling it further away from him. He raised a brow at the action, then laughed.

"Heh heh. I'm not after your food, Shi. How's your hand doing?"

He reached out to grab my injured hand but a large shock traveled up my arm the moment he touched me. His eyes widened as a bolt of electricity wrapped around our arms, sparking occasionally. He suddenly let go and gave me a look.

"What's your chakra nature, Shi?"

"Fire, water, wind and lightning." _Thanks to the experiments._

"Four chakra natures? That's extremely rare. Anyway, you should get that hand checked out at the hospital. I'll take you there if you want."

I nodded, when I noticed the looks I was getting from Naruto and Sakura. The two of them seemed to be plotting something, separately for now, but I would be sure to look out for them in the future.


	2. Chapter 2

Months had passed doing D-rank missions with the genin. Everything from babysitting, to pulling out weeds, to cleaning the river bed. Everyone on the team had gotten used to my short answers, dull expressions, and my lateness and I soon grew more attached towards my teammates.

I started speaking a little bit more and there were a few times were I expressed something other than anger or boredom, which made the group happy. I also got to know the village better (shortening the number of times I was late) as well as a few of the other teams as well when the Hokage sent me with them on missions.

Hinata's group was okay. They were a bit quiet, except for Kiba, and I seemed to get along with him the most out of that group. _Must be the wolf in me._ My favorite group, by far, was Shikamaru's group. They were very relaxed but knew when to get serious, and I was glad to have found someone challenging to play shogi with. The other group, I got more personal with since I was told by Kakashi that I needed a taijutsu trainer. He had then introduced me to a… _friend_ of his: Might Guy.

Now, Guy was a bit eccentric, but he knew what he was doing when it came to taijutsu. He was very interested in my fighting style and, after hearing what Kakashi had told him, he wanted to have a spar with me. Needless to say, we were both impressed with the other and he claimed that my 'youthful spirit' was astounding and he wished that I had been placed on his team and not his 'arch rivals'. With him as my taijutsu teacher, Kakashi having not been highly skilled in that area, I was soon on yet another training regimen.

You see, I trained with my own group as usual, but I also had genjutsu and ninjutsu training. Combine that with taijutsu training and overall, my days were like this.

Get up at 3:30am and run 50 laps around Konoha with Guy and his student Lee while wearing steadily increasing weights (staring with 15lbs until my current 125lbs). Then, I had taijutsu training until 7am with an hour break before I had to be with Kakashi and my team for our normal training. That lasted until sunset or whenever our missions were finished with, then I had ninjutsu and genjutsu training with Kakashi which normally lasted until around 10pm or later depending on how much I get done.

Needless to say, I was always exhausted by the time I returned home and only made food for myself half the time. Sometime around the middle of the month though, I had collapsed from exhaustion and my training was put on hold for a few days until I was well enough to continue. It didn't surprise Kakashi one bit when I suddenly collapsed in the middle of a spar. He even told me when I woke up that he'd been expecting me to collapse almost a week ago and he was surprised I lasted this long. I merely said that my body was used to harsh conditions.

Luckily, I hadn't collapsed since and Kakashi had shortened our after-session training due to my quick progression, which gave me time to start working on my own jutsus that I had started to create while in captivity. I knew that when you mixed two chakra natures you end up with different abilities than what one would expect. For instance, when I mixed lightning and water, the lightning was much more powerful and I was able to control storms a bit. Wind and water created snow and ice, but the one I enjoyed most, was fire and lightning as well as lightning and wind.

I learned that when you heated the lightning element with fire, you create a heat so intense that you can melt just about anything. Like I did to escape my prison. Lightning and wind was a bit harder to do.

I didn't know how they would work together being seemingly unacquainted in all aspects, but when I mixed the two the reaction was interesting. The first time I tried the two elements canceled each other out so I tried with more lightning and ended up with burns from the shock. So I tried putting them into different shapes in hope that the shapes may affect how the lightning travels.

I found two shapes that worked; a sphere of air that held the lightening inside and a rod. Now, I knew rods were extremely good for conduction and when I created a rod out of air and wrapped the lightning around it, I ended up with a magnetic field around the rod. One end attracted metal and the other end rejected it. I wasn't sure about the specifics and just assumed it had something to do with the lightening changing the particles in the air.

Using what I had found, I tried to see what I could do with the ball first and discovered it to be nearly useless, except to make it easier to get lightning to the enemy by throwing the ball. That, and it worked as a decent light source too. The rod though, was another story.

I could use the rod as a lightning conductor and could potentially stab the enemy with it and make them become magnetized. When I do that though, depending on how many times I hit it, the magnetism decreased. I also discovered that I didn't have to waste chakra making the rod as any metal weapons could do the same thing. With the magnetism, I could control the direction of weapons and use it both offensively and defensively.

Thinking about all of this, a loud crackle in my headset nearly had me falling from the tree I was situated in.

"Shi! Pay attention!" Kakashi's voice shouted over the headset.

"Sorry."

"Now have you located the target?"

I sniffed the air for a moment. "Yes."

"What's the distance to the target?"

"Five meters. I'm ready."

"Ready to go." Naruto announced.

"Me too." Came the other two replies.

"Okay. Go!"

Everyone jumped out of their hiding places and Naruto grabbed the cat. The thing immediately started attacking him and I sighed as I took the animal from him and tried to calm it down, but it attacked me to; most likely noticing the wolf in me.

"Does it have a ribbon on its right ear? Is it our target, Tora?"

"It's the target for sure." Sasuke answered.

"Okay. 'Operation Capture Tora the Lost Pet' complete."

"Isn't there a more important mission we can work on?!"

I winced and glared Naruto for shouting so loud in the earpiece as I passed the demon cat over to Sakura. He grumbled but apologized quietly and we returned to the mission's office. I felt a little bad for Tora though when the large, rich woman came and practically strangled the poor cat. I could see why Tora ran off. I would too if I had to live with this woman.

"Now then," The hokage said. "Kakashi's 7th unit's next mission is babysitting Yojyu's boy, grocery shopping at the neighboring town, helping dig up potatoes at—"

"No!"

I sighed, knowing that Naruto was going to snap sooner or later and it couldn't have been any sooner. Pulling out Icha Icha Paradise, I started reading; with Kakashi giving the book a glance over my shoulder as Naruto started arguing with the hokage. I had finally bought it after much thought, and it was surprisingly a good book, even with the erotic mental images.

Finally taking some initiative, Kakashi punched Naruto on the head just as the hokage started a lecture on the ranking of missions and their importance. None of us were paying any attention though as Kakashi and I were reading my book and the others were listening to what types of ramen Naruto had yesterday.

"Listen!"

"I'm going to get scolded later…"

I heard Kakashi mumble and I smirked with a small snort, which he answered with a smack to the back of my head.

"Okay, I understand. If you insist, I will allow you a C-ranked mission. It's to escort a certain person."

"Really? Who? Who? The feudal lord? Or a princess?"

"Don't get so hasty. I'll introduce him now. Can you please come in now?"

I didn't close my book, but turned to look at the newcomer. The moment the door opened, I smelled the strong scent of sake and enjoyed the scent while simultaneously deciding that I was going to have a drink before we left on this mission.

"What? They're all kids! Hey, is the smallest one there with the idiotic face really a ninja?"

Naruto laughed until he realized the man was talking about him and I had to hold him back while Kakashi told him not to kill the client.

"I am the bridge building expert Tazuna. Once I have returned to my country, I will have all of you protect my life with yours while I complete the bridge."

We were dismissed, and expected to meet at the gates in two hours so I turned to our client, not caring about packing because I never unpacked from my last mission with Guy's team.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Huh? Shouldn't you be getting ready or something?"

I nodded. "Yes, but I already have."

He gave me a look, but couldn't pass up the drink and the two of us headed out to have sake. We had a good time, talking about his family and how his bridge work is going. It was nice to sit down and relax after all the training I had been doing, which reminded me that I had to let Guy know that I wouldn't be around for a while. We both left the sake shop a bit tipsy and he went to wait at the gates while I quickly let Guy know about my mission.

"Good luck my youthful friend!"

I waved and headed over to pick up my pack from my apartment before going towards the gate with a sigh. _I'm a little drunk but they'll never know._ The only thing that could gave me away anyway, was the slight pink tinge to my cheeks and the smell. I mentally shrugged and noticed that I was already at the gate with Tazuna and, surprisingly, Kakashi. He rose a brow when I came over and gave a glance at a slightly rosy-cheeked Tazuna.

"You went drinking with Tazuna, then?"

I gave him a slightly confused glance in return. "How?"

"You're not the only one with a good sense of smell."

I nodded, mentally noting that for later, and he shook his head as the genin started arriving. We'd just barely walked out of the village gates when Naruto shouted.

"All right! Let's go!"

I cringed, his volume not something I was enjoying at the moment as Sakura sighed.

"What're you all excited about anyway?"

"Because, I've never gone outside the village before."

"Hey." Tazuna pointed at Naruto. "Will a kid like this really be capable of this mission?"

"I wonder." I mumbled so Tazuna could hear me.

He and Kakashi laughed. "Don't worry, Tazuna. I'm a jounin and Shi is very skilled as well. There's no need to worry."

I wondered why Kakashi complemented me, but my foggy mind didn't really want to focus on one thing for very long at the moment. _I'll have to fix that or I'll be a liability should something happen._ I sighed again as I thought of everything that could go wrong, a little cloud of depression floating over my head as I stared off into space. Kakashi clapped me on the back with a smile.

"A depressed drunk, huh? Don't go getting all weepy on me."

He chuckled and I rolled my eyes.

"Neh, Shi! You've been outside the village right? What's it like? What'd you do?"

I tensed a bit and shook my head, not wanting to talk about it. He looked at me a bit confused, and continued.

"Well… where'd you come from? What village?"

I shook my head and shrugged.

"What? You don't know?"

"I do not remember."

Kakashi spoke this time. "You have memory loss?"

I nodded. That was the best way I could describe it. I didn't remember anything from my previous world. The most I could remember was God and the painting of a younger Naruto.

"What about your sword, Shi?"

"Stole it."

Tazuna laughed. "Very blunt, aren't you, Shi?"

Naruto nodded. "Shi's always been like that. He didn't even talk when we first met him!"

I sighed and ignored Naruto and the rest as I listened to the forest and checked for any scents. Most of them were small bird or rabbits, and occasional fox here and there, but there were two that I didn't recognize that had been following us for a while. I turned to tell Kakashi, but he nodded. _He already knows._ He didn't look at me, but he mouthed orders that I could make out. "When they attack I want you to stay out of the fight. It's time to see what the kids can do and who the ninja are after. We'll only step in when things start getting out of hand."

I gave a brief nod and as we passed a small puddle, I noticed Kakashi give it a look and turn to me. I gave another short nod and we continued walking, sticking towards the back and next to each other.

Almost instantly, Kakashi and I were wrapped together in chains by two ninja. I would have groaned at the predicament but now was not the time as I used a substitution jutsu (something I easily learned during my training) just as the chains tightened and supposedly killed Kakashi and I.

"Kakashi-sensei! Shi!"

The two of us sat and watched from the trees as the enemy ninja went after Naruto next. The kid was frozen in fear and shock, but Sasuke was quick to stop the chains and pin the two ninja to a tree. He landed a good kick on each ninja before they detached themselves and charged at Tazuna and Naruto. Sakura did the right thing and moved in to protect Tazuna, but I could sense her fear. Sasuke also moved in and was prepared to take the hit which was when Kakashi tapped me as the signal to move in.

He took the one attacking Tazuna while I went after Naruto's attacker. Grabbing the man's metal hand, I sent electricity through it and knocked him out instantly. Kakashi, on the other hand, went for the more direct approach and rammed the guy in the throat with his arm. The genin stared at us in shock and happiness, thankful that the two of us were alive and they figured out that we'd done a substitution.

"Naruto, sorry for not helping out right away. We got you hurt. I didn't think you wouldn't be able to move." Kakashi said.

Tazuna breathed a sigh of relief and I dragged the enemy ninja over to a tree where Kakashi dropped of the other one, so we could tie them up. Sasuke and Sakura were praised and I sighed, knowing what was going to happen now. Sasuke egged Naruto on, just like I thought and I went to stop Naruto before they started a fight.

"Naruto!" Kakashi beat me to it. "There's poison in these guys' nails. We need to take out the poison right away. Shi."

I nodded and grabbed Naruto's hand and pulling out a small bottle. He looked at me scared, but I gave him a look.

"Don't move."

He closed his eyes and bit his lip, but I didn't know why. I mentally shook my head and opened the bottle. I rubbed some of the slime onto his wound as Kakashi started seeing what Tazuna knew and explaining the situation. During my travels, I learned what was immune against most poisons and took my time to find antidotes for many of the poisons I was faced with. My blood also worked as an antidote due to Orochimaru's experiments, but I'd rather avoid using it at all costs. For one thing, I didn't know what side effects it had if used on another person. With a mental sigh, I took out bandages to bandage his hand as Kakashi started to question what to do next.

"This mission is out of our league. Let's quit! We need anesthesia to take out the poisoned blood out of Naruto, too. We need to go back to the village and see a doctor!"

Kakashi thought about what Sakura said, but when he looked at Naruto the kid did not look ready to back down so he pushed the issue to see how Naruto would react.

"This sure is a burden. Let's go back to the village to cure Naruto since what Shi did only works partway."

Naruto pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into his hand, shocking everyone including Kakashi who didn't expect Naruto to make such a stupid decision. I rolled my eyes and kicked Kakashi in the shin.

"Hey!"

"Idiot."

Kakashi frowned as I went over to bandage Naruto's hand, but he started to speak.

"This mission is still on!"

I nodded with a closed-eye smile and tilted my head to the side. "You're going to die from blood loss."

It was quiet for a moment before Naruto turned blue and began silently freaking out. Kakashi even came over and smiled.

"It's not good if you don't stop it right away. Seriously."

I rolled my eyes at Kakashi's teasing as Naruto began freaking out. I smacked him on the head and grabbed his hand to bandage it. I noticed the wound already healing, but I didn't say anything about it as I wrapped his hand properly.

* * *

Eventually, we reached the shore of a lake and boarded a boat to cross. The mist was extremely thick and I relished in the scent. It'd been a while since I played with the morning fog so I played with my chakra a little, making a smoky dragon and had it float around. Naruto was thoroughly amused as I had the small dragon do circles around his head. When we looked up though, the bridge was above us and Naruto shouted out in excitement before being shushed.

Still playing with my little dragon, I half listened to Kakashi and Tazuna's conversation about Gatou. I had heard about him before, so I ignored most of their conversation.

Tazuna basically gave us a guilt trip about what would happen if we gave up and Kakashi felt like he had no choice, while I chuckled quietly to myself. As bored as I was, I directed my little dragon so that he was face to face with Kakashi and everyone watched as they had a _very_ short staring contest. I say short, because the little dragon squirted water in his face. The group, aside from Kakashi of course, laughed as he gave me a look that I shrugged at. Not soon enough, we landed in a small port side town and headed off again.

"If they were to attack, they will send jounin level ninja instead of the chunin level ones. Oh well… I'll be counting on you Shi."

"Huh?"

He sighed, dropping his head in defeat when Naruto ran out and threw a kunai into a bush.

"There!"

There was complete silence for a moment, Sakura and Tazuna getting more pissed off by the second. I decided to humor Naruto, and scanned the area for scents. Surprisingly, there were no birds or animals except for a single rabbit and I couldn't smell any people, but that didn't mean that they weren't downwind. Kakashi frowned as Naruto threw another kunai at the rabbit I smelled earlier and he went to check it out as Sakura hit Naruto upside the head. Naruto rushed over and apologized to the rabbit, but Kakashi was thinking and I was worried. I suddenly picked up a scent nearby and heard the familiar sound of a weapon being thrown; a _large_ weapon.

"Everyone duck!"

Everyone dropped to the floor, Naruto having to get tackled by Sakura just as a sword flew over our heads; embedding itself into a tree a few yards from me. The man standing on the sword was the source of the scent and I recognized him from the bingo book I own. His face was covered by bandages and he had grey pinstriped pants with camo leg and arm warmers that looked almost like cow print. I blinked at that thought but shook my head when I started imagining him as a cow.

"Oh my, my, you are Zabuza Momochi. The exiled ninja of the Hidden Village of Mist."

Naruto started charging, but Kakashi put his hand out.

"You're in the way. Stay back, everyone. Shi." I became alert at the sound of my name. "Watch over them."

Nodding, I brought Naruto back over by Tazuna.

"Why?!"

"He's different. He'll kill you in a second."

Naruto looked at me like I was joking, but once he saw I was serious he gulped.

"If he is our enemy, I can't win like this."

Kakashi reached up to his headband and I frowned. I knew from our training that he had the sharingan eye that could read every move, but I also knew that it tired him out if used too long.

"Surround Tazuna and protect him. Don't join the battle. To not interfere with the battle is teamwork. That includes you, Shi."

Kakashi lifted his headband fully and Sasuke explained what the sharingan was to Naruto. Zabuza put in his input and fog began to crawl in.

"Shi."

"Yes."

"Keep an eye on him."

I nodded, knowing that he couldn't see me but he'd understand. He wanted me to try and track his scent since I could distinguish between the original Zabuza from any clones he should make. The only exception to that rule were kage bushin, but Naruto is the only one I know who can do that.

"Let's cut the chit-chat here. I have to kill that geezer right away."

The group surrounded Tazuna and Zabuza pulled his sword out and landed onto of the water and started embedding chakra in it. The mist grew even thicker and I focused even more on his scent as best as I could with the water in the air trying to cover it up.

"Shi?"

"Sh. Be quiet, Naruto."

 _My hearing will come in handy in this situation too._ He nodded and didn't say a word as the mist grew even thicker and Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist.

"Eight points."

"What is it?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Be quiet." I growled.

She shut her mouth as Zabuza continued. "The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?"

Kakashi let loose some of his killing intent and my breathing shortened. I was used to it to some extent, but this was a bit intense for the genin. Their scent of fear was beginning to overwhelm my senses and I grit my teeth to keep my body in control.

"Don't worry. I'll protect the four of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die."

I could hear the conviction in Kakashi's words and the genin could as well, so my focus returned just in time. I smelled a water clone behind me and right in the center of our circle around Tazuna and I spun around just as he landed, stabbing a kunai in between his ribs instantaneously. The others jumped back in surprise, but I scowled as the water clone held tight to my kunai.

"Shi! Behind you!"

I didn't move because I knew Kakashi would be there. He shoved me forward and was cut through as I rolled back onto my feet and sniffed the fog filled air. It was hard to tell, but I knew he had used a water clone as he brought a kunai to Zabuza's throat. The fog was really making it difficult to tell if this Zabuza was real or not and it took me a moment, but it was a moment too late.

"Clone!"

Kakashi spun around, as the real Zabuza swung his sword. Ducking, the sword flew over Kakashi, but Zabuza pinned it in the ground and used the leverage to kick Kakashi into the lake. Zabuza rushed to finish him, but I threw out makibishi.

"How idiotic."

I scowled at the insult and followed Zabuza with my eyes just as Kakashi popped out of the water. Something was wrong and I soon found out when Zabuza appeared behind him doing familiar hand signs.

"Crap! Water prison!"

The genin gave me confused looks but understood when the water surrounded Kakashi, trapping him in the water sphere. I growled to myself and struggled to stay where I was and not leave the genin exposed. Kakashi trusted me with keeping them safe. _But I can't keep them safe with the enemy around. Nor can I leave Kakashi behind._

"Now then, Kakashi. I'll finish you off later. First, I'm going to get rid of them. Water clone technique."

A water clone came up and disappeared into the mist. I cursed under my breath and, before I could get a location of the clone, it kicked Naruto.

"Shi! Get Tazuna and the others and run! You can't win against him! He can't move as long as he has me trapped in this water prison. He won't be able to use his water clone once you get away from him! Run for now! Shi! Go!"

I clenched my fists as Sasuke stepped forward. Holding my hand out, I glared at him.

"No. Go protect Tazuna. Think up a plan. I'll keep him occupied."

"Wha—"

"Just do it!"

He flinched, not used to me speaking harshly, but nodded and went over with Tazuna and the others.

"Shi! What are you doing?!"

"Saving a friend."

I pulled out my sword and crouched down.

"Oh? Here I thought you were just another kid like the rest, but that look in your eyes. Heh, it's got me excited."

I growled and charged at the water clone, easily getting within reach and surprising Zabuza with my speed. The clone splattered and I went straight for the original. Three more clones came up and I dodged one fist, another kick, and a sword swing. I swung my sword which he dodged and used that chance to shove my right fist into its stomach, electrocuting it. I kept the shock contained, so as to not shock Kakashi across the water, when I was suddenly hit in the ribs by the back of one of the clone's swords, feeling ribs break by the sheer force as I was thrown across the water.

"Shi!"

I ignored Kakashi and the others and flipped back into an upright position, holding my ribs. I put my long sword away, pulling out a kunai, and spat out blood to the side from under my scarf.

"Haha! I like _you_! Quick on your feet and that animalistic look in your eyes reminds me of myself during that exam."

"What exam?"

I scowled at Naruto as Zabuza told him. "Fights to the death between the students."

I didn't give him a chance to continue and started making the hand signs for another jutsu.

"Storm beast."

A water wolf erupted from the lake, landing in front of me as I laced it with electricity. I hadn't quite perfected it yet, so it was only the size of a small wolf but it would have to do for now. Zabuza looked surprised and the wolf charged as I finished yet another jutsu.

"Wolf runner."

The wind attack was aimed at the wolf, but it wrapped around it and pushed it forward as well as giving it a magnetic field. The two left over Zabuza clones went to swing their swords, but they rebounded off the magnetic field as the wolf continued towards the real Zabuza. His eyes widened, but then he smirked and I just barely noticed the hand sign.

A large water dragon jumped out of the water, taking my wolf jutsu in its mouth and hitting me square in the chest with it. I just barely held back a scream as electricity surged through my body and the magnetic field transferred to me, causing the kunai I dropped on impact to come flying back at me and hit me in the shoulder. I hit a tree and fell to the ground still shaking from the after-shocks.

"SHI!"

"Is that enough time?!"

They stared at me in shock, but I gave them a closed-eye smile.

"Kick his ass."

They gave a smile in return, aside from Sasuke who smirked. I pulled the kunai from my shoulder with great difficulty and plunged it into the ground, allowing the left over electricity and magnetism to escape my body. Then I watched as Naruto did his signature move and waited for the plan to reveal itself as they attacked another water clone. The Narutos were easily defeated, but Naruto tossed Sasuke a fuuma shuriken.

"The Fuuma Shuriken, the Shadow Windmill!"

He threw the shuriken at the clone, but it flew right past him last minute and went after the original. I smirked, coughing up blood. _Nice plan, Naruto, Sasuke._ Zabuza caught the first shuriken but missed the fact that there was another one in its shadow. He managed to dodge it though, by jumping over it. What he didn't see, was that the shuriken was actually Naruto; the real one.

"This is the spot!"

Naruto threw the shuriken, forcing Zabuza to release Kakashi. The guy was so blinded by rage, that he went straight for Naruto despite the fact that Kakashi was right next to him. Zabuza went to throw the shuriken, but Kakashi stopped it with a murderous look.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naruto, your plan was impressive. You have all sure grown and Shi… I'm sorry. I'll take care of the rest."

I couldn't even answer at this point. The electricity was finally gone, but I still felt numb and my shoulder had burns around the kunai wound because the kunai had conducted the electricity. My breathing was dangerously shallow and I was afraid to move should my ribs puncture a lung. Needless to say, things didn't look good for me especially when Kakashi and Zabuza started getting carried away with the water jutsus. Thanks to their water dragons, I was also soaked to the bone.

"Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!"

 _You can't be serious._ I quickly used some of my leftover chakra to do a few hand signs.

"Water Prison."

It was basically the same thing Zabuza did, only it protected me from the giant wave Kakashi had just unleashed as long as I held onto my kunai that was in the ground. It hurt my shoulder and my ribs, but it was either that or be swept away and deal with even more damage. As soon as the water retreated, I released the jutsu and fell to my hands coughing up more blood. I couldn't focus on what was happening a bit further away as I tried to sit back up. All I could figure out was that everyone was surprised, cautious, and tired. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I used the tree behind me to stand and tried to walk to the familiar sounds of my teammates. Naruto, as always, was the loudest.

" _Zabuza_ was killed! He… He was so strong, but he was killed so easily by a kid that's not that different from me! We… We look like idiots! I can't accept this!"

"I understand how you can't believe it, but this is real. In this world, there are kids who are younger than you and stronger than me."

A third voice joined the conversation and my vision was so blurry that I couldn't even figure out what I was walking towards anymore.

"Your battle ends here for now. I must go dispose of this corpse. It's a body filled with secrets. I also suggest you have your companion treated soon. If you'll excuse me."

Suddenly, my strength gave out and I fell forward as arms wrapped around my waist and I landed on someone's chest.

"You okay, Shi?"

"Me?… What about… you?"

Kakashi sighed and pulled his headband down back over his eye.

"Just a bit of chakra exhaustion. I'll live. _You_ on the other hand are in seriously bad shape."

"You don't say."

He took off his back pack and gave it over to Naruto, who we'd been ignoring since he came over and started acting worried. Naruto took the pack and Kakashi helped me onto his back.

"I don't know what kind of shape you're in but I should take you back to the village, you know."

"No."

I could only whisper it, my strength completely gone at this point, but I heard Kakashi chuckle.

"I thought you'd say that. Well, our mission hasn't ended yet." He said, speaking to the others. "We need to take Tazuna to his house and see what we can do about Shi."

Tazuna, being good natured and all, smiled and tilted his hat up.

"Sorry about that, everyone! Just come rest at my house!"

We started walking and I knew Kakashi had lied when he said he was just a little exhausted and with him carrying me, he wouldn't be able to last long. I knew I had a bit of chakra left and hoped it would be enough. _He needs it more than me. The others can't carry us both._ I pushed the chakra into the hand that was resting on Kakashi's chest and gave him what I had left.

"Shi! What are you doing?!"

I smiled under my scarf just before giving in to the black oblivion; Kakashi shouting my name in the background.

* * *

The sounds attacked me all at once the moment my consciousness returned. Naruto's voice was too loud and Sakura trying to shut him up was just as bad. Not only that, but I could sense their fear and concern and it was overloading my senses. I tensed, only to whimper in pain as my ribs shifted and my shoulder ached and the sounds went quiet for a moment before flaring up again. As I grew more and more angered, I could feel a fire burning in my body and I was having a hard time pushing it back. I could hear voices now, but they only added to the chaos in my head.

"Is Shi going to be okay, Kakashi-sensei?"

"She should be okay. I've healed her ribs as much as I could and we should actually be thankful that she was shocked. The heat from the electricity closed up her shoulder wound."

"But sensei, she has a really high fever!"

I knew why too. I had it happen when I collapsed from exhaustion the last time. When I pass out, my body has to reboot (so to speak) and any barriers I put up against the experiments weaken. The more I'm injured, the more I want to release the side of me that I would rather keep hidden. The fever was merely a result of me fighting against it.

"Ah! Kaka-sensei! I think she's waking up!"

I heard a yelp of pain from Naruto as Sakura yelled at him. "Shut up, you idiot! You're too loud."

"Why don't you guys go outside?"

"But Kaka-sen—"

Naruto was cut off with a hit to the head and I heard them exit the room, leaving me with Kakashi and a scent I didn't recognize. I felt something touch my forehead and tensed again, only to recognize its smell. Wearily, I opened my eyes as Kakashi took his hand from my head with a relived look.

"It's about time you woke up. We were just about to have breakfast."

Something was wrong, I could tell just by how nice he was being to me. _It's got to be Zabuza, but he's dead… unless…_

"He's alive."

He sighed. "Yeah. I was kind of hoping to tell you later, but oh well. So how are you feeling?"

I groaned and tried to sit up, to which Kakashi rolled his eyes and helped me.

"You really didn't have to do that. You'll only end up making your injuries worse."

I breathed heavily for a moment, trying to catch my breath while mentally hating myself for getting into this kind of shape. I couldn't even sit up without feeling like I ran around Konoha 1000 times.

"You said there was breakfast."

He chuckled at my humor and asked if I thought I could make it to the table in the other room.

"Are you crazy? She'll probably collapse!"

I blinked and glanced at the young woman who was ringing out a wet cloth. Not happy that she'd think of me so weak I frowned, glad that Kakashi had left my scarf on.

"I'll be fine."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and helped me stand, being careful of my shoulder and ribs as he led me into the living room where the rest of our team had already started eating. Sakura looked at us in shock, while Naruto looked at me worriedly and Sasuke looked like he could care less.

Kakashi helped me sit down at the table and took a seat himself next to me, which I was grateful for since I didn't know how long I could keep myself upright. He then put food on my plate for me so I wouldn't have to reach across the table and I silently began eating, ignoring the looks Sakura and Naruto were giving me.

"Shi? Are you okay?"

I looked up at Sakura and nodded.

"But Shi! You're hurt! You should be sleeping o-or something, right?"

I glared at Naruto, who promptly shut up and I returned to my food. It was good and I tried to finish quickly as my ribs began to ache again, but I wasn't as quick as Sasuke and Naruto who both dashed off the moment they were done. I blinked and gave Kakashi a questioning look.

"They're training. Tree climbing."

I nodded, but rubbed my temples.

"Can I go out?"

Kakashi raised a brow, but shrugged. "Sure. If you feel up for it."

I gratefully stood, allowing him to help me as we walked to the forest away from where Naruto and Sasuke were training. It was nice to only hear the sounds of the forest and Kakashi helped me sit down at the base of a tree. I was a bit surprised when he sat down next to me. He closed his eyes and relaxed as I did the same.

"So what do you hear?"

I opened an eye and looked at him, but he hadn't moved so I closed it.

"Everything and nothing."

"Can't just give me an easy answer, can you?"

"No."

He looked at me in shock as I gave a small smile. He then reached towards my scarf, but I grabbed his hand just as he grabbed the edges of my scarf.

"What are you doing?"

"Just wanted to see what you're hiding."

He smiled, but I frowned. "Probably the same thing you are. Nothing."

He dropped his hand as I let go and he sat back against the tree again.

"You got me there."

"If you were so curious, why didn't you remove it when I passed out?"

"Hm… Probably because I'm a gentleman."

I rose a brow at that, but mentally shook it off as I relaxed once more.

"They're competing, yes?"

"Who?"

"Naruto and Sasuke."

"Ah. I suppose they are. They both want to be stronger than the other and Naruto's been improving faster than Sasuke expected… Wait. You changed the subject."

"Glad you noticed."

He sweat dropped and I smirked.

"Mah, I guess there's no arguing… I was impressed though. You have really improved your jutsus. How did you come up with that last one?"

"Extra time… experimenting."

I wasn't pleased to have to use that word, but it was the only one right for the situation.

"Water and lightning boosts shock power and wind increases speed."

"I see, but what about when Zabuza's water clones went to attack it and their swords bounced back?"

"Lightning and wind. They create a magnetic field. Comes in handy unless I get hit. The magnetic field transfers."

"Which is why you were hit by your own kunai."

I nodded, tired from my long explanation. "I didn't expect the water dragon. It's possibly the only weakness."

"What do you mean?"

"If it was an air attack, the magnetism would be canceled out. Lightning attack would evaporate the water. His attack decreased the shock but didn't affect the magnetic field."

"Interesting. That jutsu of yours requires precise amounts of each element in order to work. You've got to be pretty smart to figure all that out, Shi."

"I suppose."

He nodded and stood up, holding his hand out to me.

"Come on. Let's head on back. Maybe if you rest up today, I'll let you watch Tazuna or the two brats tomorrow."

Taking his hand, I accepted his help up. "Only because you don't want to."

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Mah, you caught me."

I rolled my eyes and started walking back with him. The moment we reached the house, he made me go lay down and even I was surprised at just how quickly I fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi went into Shi's room to wake her up in order for her to go with Tazuna to the bridge. What he didn't expect, was the immense amount of chakra he felt as he was walking down the hall. Thinking the worst, he hurried to Shi's room with his kunai at the ready. Surprisingly, there was no one else in the room aside from Shi who was obviously the source of the chakra, judging by the grey chakra cloud that covered her as she thrashed in her futon. Being extremely careful, not exactly knowing what was happening to her, Kakashi put his kunai away and slowly approached her; keeping quiet so as to not alert the other household members.

"Shi. Can you hear me? You need to calm down or your wounds will get worse."

He reached out and touched her arm and her eyes suddenly snapped open, revealing slit pupils. Kakashi released her in shock, just staring back at her as she continued to breathe hard. Shaking himself from his shock, he reached out again and her eyes immediately widened as she scrambled out of the futon and away from him; getting down in her familiar animalistic crouch.

Still confused by what was going on, Kakashi tried to find a way to calm her down. _This obviously isn't normal. She's acting like a frightened animal. Something must have triggered this, but what? And how can I fix it?_ He very slowly headed towards her, stopping completely when he was a few feet from her and she growled dangerously. Holding his palms out defensively, he knelt down to try and make himself seem like less of a threat.

"Come on, Shi. It's me, Kakashi. Surely you can fight this, whatever this is. What if Naruto comes in? You wouldn't want to scare him, right?"

Her eyes softened for a moment as she spoke.

"Naru… to?"

Kakashi, seeing that mentioning Naruto seemed to get to her a little bit, nodded and continued.

"Yeah. You know, Naruto. Sakura and Sasuke too. Who knows what they'd do?"

The grey chakra started easing away and Kakashi started coming towards her again, when her breathing shortened further and she grabbed at her side. _Something's wrong. She probably ended up moving one of her ribs out of place since they hadn't fully healed. I have to finish this quickly before it gets worse._

"Ah, see what you did Shi? You made your wounds worse. Now I'll have to fix them again."

His hand reached towards her ribs and she snapped her head up and growled at him again. He steadied himself, slowly continuing to try and reach her in order to heal her ribs, watching her eyes for any sign of serious aggression, but was surprised to only find fear; something he's never seen coming from her. _She seems like a really strong person, from everything I've seen. But what or who could have possibly made her end up like this? There's obviously something that someone's not telling me._

"Shi. I'm only trying to help you."

"He… lp?"

"Yeah."

He was extremely shocked to see her begin to cry. A single tear fell down her cheek and her eyes returned to normal as she clutched Kakashi's flak jacket.

"Help… Help… Help…"

Unsure about what to do now, he began healing her ribs allowing her to hang on to his jacket until he finished and discovered that she had fallen asleep again. _Well… That was certainly unexpected. Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on the brats today after all. It's best she gets some more sleep anyway._ He sighed quietly and laid her down, somehow managing to get her to release the death grip she had on his jacket before he headed out to check on his students; silently wondering about what had just happened.

* * *

Morning didn't come around soon enough. My ribs were aching again, if not worse than last night. I couldn't quite remember everything that had happened, but I knew that it wasn't good and that I'd gotten a bit out of control again. _Let's hope it wasn't one of the genin who found me like that._ I groaned, forcing myself up, and headed into the other room. Once I got there, I leaned heavily against the wall a bit put out that there was no one there. _Where's my breakfast?_

I growled lowly and sniffed the air. There was one unfamiliar scent and one that I recognized as the young woman who was in my room before. All three scents were in separate rooms of the house and none were near the kitchen. With a light sigh, I hobbled my way outside to find that it wasn't morning. It was actually mid-afternoon.

"No wonder." I muttered to myself and took another whiff of the air.

Sasuke and Naruto's scents were around the same area as before while Kakashi's was—

"Yo."

Behind me. "Kakashi."

"You shouldn't be moving around. You hurt your ribs again last night."

"You found me?" It was more of a statement than a question, but he nodded, helping me back into the house and to my room. I wasn't fond of him helping me all the time, however, I couldn't exactly argue about it either. He laid me down on my futon and I let out a deep breath.

"You want to know what happened."

"Yes, actually. I was definitely not expecting to come upon something like that last night, and I don't appreciate the fact that you're hiding things from me."

"It's my life and I do not wish to share it."

"Shi."

His tone was harsh and cold, bordering unemotional strictness. I kind of wanted someone to know what Orochimaru had done to me, but I was not as comfortable as I seemed with the people around me. I still did not trust anyone really, and I was purposely keeping myself from having others become too attached to me. It was the only way I could protect them and myself.

"I cannot control what happens. Just be sure to understand that there are some things better not known, Kakashi."

"How am I supposed to—"

"You cannot help me." I stared back at him with a completely serious expression, leaving no room for arguments. "Nobody can fix what has been done… and nothing can change what is going to happen. Goodnight."

I rolled over, facing away from him in a slightly painful position, until I heard him leave. Truth was, I wanted someone to help me. I had always wanted someone to help me, but no one ever came and I was forced to grow up and help myself. That's how it was and is probably how it will always be. The further I stayed away from them, the further away they'll be when Orochimaru finds me and takes me back. _I know he will too. It's not like him to risk losing something. Let alone someone he wants dead._

The next couple of days, I slept less and focused more on getting my strength back. My ribs were just about healed and my shoulder wound wasn't as bad as before. So I was currently doing pushups with Kakashi; Sakura on my back and Tazuna on his.

"196, 197, 198..."

"199, 200. Done?"

"No. 300 more."

I groaned, but kept going when Tazuna spoke up.

"I wanted to ask you earlier but, why are you still here when I lied to you about this mission?"

I let Kakashi answer this. "'To abandon your duty is not courageous. Below the courageous, there is nothing.' Those are the previous Hokage's words. That is the way of the shinobi. Shinobi don't move because of money alone."

My eyes started sliding closed and I relaxed as I continued doing pushups, not knowing that Kakashi had stopped and was watching me in amusement.

* * *

"You doing okay, Shi?" Kakashi asked, watching Shi continue to exercise with a grin on his face. When she didn't answer, he became confused along with the others in the room and Sakura leaned over to look at Shi, getting off her back with a giggle.

"I think she fell asleep, sensei."

The three laughed quietly until Kakashi finally stopped her and brought her back to her room. _She hasn't been getting enough sleep anyway. It's better for all of us that she rests now since we'll all be heading out to the bridge tomorrow._ He let her sleep and soon it was time for dinner. Sasuke and Naruto came in late and pretty beat up, both collapsing at the table just as Shi wandered in with a yawn. She too collapsed at the table, resting her head on the cold wood with only one word escaping her lips.

"Food."

A few people at the table chuckled and a steaming bowl of food was soon placed before her. She dug in eagerly while Naruto laughed and poked her arm.

"Neh, neh, Shi. You're gonna get fat! Save some for the rest of us!"

Shi let out a low growl and clutched the bowl closer to her. "Get your own." She grumbled as she shoveled another piece of food under her scarf. Naruto just smiled at her, until they both spotted Inari glaring at them with tears streaming down his face.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard?! No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatou's men! No matter what glorious claims you make or how hard you work when facing the strong, the weak will only end up getting killed!"

Shi scoffed and Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Whatever kid. I'm not like you."

"I'd hate to be like you!" Inari yelled. "You don't know anything about this country, yet you're being so nosy! What the hell do you know about me?! I'm different from you! You're always clowning around and acting so cheerful! You don't know how hard life can be!"

Shi gripped her chopsticks so hard they snapped in half and Naruto spoke up with a cold voice.

"So it's okay for you to pose as the star of a tragedy and cry all day? Just keep on crying forever you idiot! You sissy!"

Naruto got up and headed towards the door as Sakura yelled at him.

"Naruto! You've said enough!"

Something flew by her head and her eyes widened as a half of a chopstick was stuck in the wall behind her.

"Shut up." Shi had also stood up and Sakura shrunk away from the heated look in her eyes. "You shouldn't be talking about matters that don't concern you."

Shi slammed the rest of her broken chopsticks down on the table and set a withering glare at Inari before following after Naruto. Dinner finished on a sour note and Kakashi took that chance to speak with Inari.

"Can I join you?"

Inari didn't say anything, so Kakashi sat down next to him and began speaking.

"Naruto didn't mean any harm by what he said. Sometimes he just doesn't use his head." Inari continued to stay silent, so Kakashi continued. "Tazuna told us about your dad. Like you, Naruto also grew up without a father. Actually, he's never known his parents and he's never even had a single friend. The truth is, he's had a rougher past than you."

"What about that other guy?" Inari muttered. He wasn't happy at how Shi had glared at him before and frowned as he remembered.

"You mean Shi? Well, first off, Shi's not a guy." Kakashi said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"What?!"

"Haha, it's true… But I don't really know much about Shi."

"Why not?"

"Well, you see, Shi came to our village a few months ago. Apparently, she was a bodyguard for a group of travelers and she ran into Naruto on the way. He had… gotten into some trouble and Shi had protected him. After that, they got along pretty well and she ended up on our team."

"But how? Isn't she too old?"

Kakashi sweat dropped. _I'm glad she's not here to hear this kid. She'd probably kill him._ "I suppose you could say that, but Shi was only as strong as Naruto and the others when she first came here."

"But why was she mad at me? I didn't do anything wrong."

"On the contrary. I assume part of it has to do with the fact that you hurt Naruto, but I think Shi has also had a rougher past than you. She's never mentioned anything about her family and she only remembers up to a few years ago. From what I know, she's been living on her own since then as a bodyguard."

Inari's eyes widened at that, but Kakashi kept speaking.

"Not once have I seen her show any other emotion besides her bored expression or her angered one. Naruto though, seems to make her happy but I've never seen him cry or complain either. He's always trying his best to get people to acknowledge him. For that dream he'd risk his life at any time. He's probably sick and tired of crying and for all I know, Shi's the same way. They both know what it really means to be strong, just like your father. In fact, Naruto may understand your feelings better than anyone else."

"What?"

"He doesn't seem to be able to not be concerned about you." Kakashi smiled before standing up. "Mah, I better go check up on him and Shi. Knowing them, they both collapsed somewhere."

Sure enough, Kakashi headed off into the woods and found Naruto sleeping, completely exhausted, up against Shi who was also asleep. He gave a small chuckle and went to pick up Naruto from Shi's arms only for her eyes to snap open and a low growl to come out of her throat; her eyes flashing silver for a split second. Her growl stopped when she saw who it was, and she handed Naruto over easily.

"About time." She muttered as she got up and stretched a bit with a yawn. "Mm, tired."

"That's the same thing you said before the bell test."

Shi gave him a half-lidded glare and he laughed as they all headed back.

"I like my sleep."

"I'm sure you do. It's a shame you don't do it more often."

"Nightmares."

He blinked at the answer and turned his head to look at her only for her face to be blank as she watched the stars above them. _Nightmares? Of what? I should really speak with the Hokage about this when we get back. Shi's obviously hiding something and I doubt she'll tell me straight out._ The two of them stayed quiet the rest of the way back and once Kakashi had put Naruto in his own bed, he went to check up on Shi only to find her in the same state as Naruto; completely knocked out. He shook his head in amusement and went to his own bed to sleep. He had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

The next morning, I awoke to a very loud yell from down the hall.

"AHHHHH! I overslept!"

I groaned and got up, leaving the room just as Naruto raced down the hall and back to his room. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and yawned, walking over to where I could smell the daughter of the family (I never did get her name) and blinked at her, silently asking the question that was on my mind.

"Your sensei wanted the both of you to sleep in."

I nodded and grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar just before he could run out the door without me.

"Gak!" He choked. "Shi! Let go!"

"No rush." I muttered out tiredly and he sweat dropped.

"No rush?! They left us behind Shi!"

I hummed and scratched the back of my head, letting him go and following him out at a slower pace.

"Hurry up Shi!" He shouted at me as we jumped through the trees, but I suddenly stopped. I smelled blood.

Turning away from him, I jumped in another direction before landing in front of a huge boar that looked as though someone had cut it up with a sword. Naruto landed behind me and noticed the cuts as well as others that were on the trees nearby, heading in the direction of Tazuna's house. _Someone was sent after Inari and his mom._

"Naruto."

"Ah. Come on, Shi."

I nodded and he jumped off, but before I followed him, I made sure to help the poor boar out, using the medicine salve and bandages I had in my pouch. When we finally reached the house, I spotted Inari running towards two armed swordsmen.

"I got them. You get the brat."

He nodded and we hurried off. Naruto used a substitution on Inari, also managing to grab his sister, distracting the two swordsmen.

"Sorry for being late, but a hero usually shows up at the last second. Great job, Inari!"

He smiled and I appeared behind the two men without them noticing.

"Well, well, if it isn't one of the loser ninjas Tazuna hired."

"That's not very nice." I muttered and they both turned around to attack me, but I ducked their sword swings and heel kicked one in the face before swinging a right hook into the other one's ribs. They both fell to the ground and I began tying them up while Naruto spoke with Inari. I finally got his attention once I had finished.

"Naruto. The bridge."

He nodded. "You're right. If they attacked here, then the bridge is also in danger. I can count on you here, right Inari?"

"Yup." The boy nodded, wiping his eyes and I ruffled the kid's hair, surprising him.

"Bye."

The boy gave me a smile while Naruto smirked. "Man, it sure is tough being a hero."

"It sure is!" Inari shouted as we headed off to the bridge.

On our way there, my thoughts went on to think about something a bit depressing. _If Zabuza is there, will we even have a chance to defeat him? Kakashi and I aren't exactly back in shape yet and I doubt Sakura could do much, no offense to her, but she's more of the book smart type. And what if there's more than just Zabuza? Will we be able to hold him back as well as others? More importantly, will I be able to hold back?_

"Oi, Shi! Are you listening to me?!"

I blinked out of my reverie and glanced at Naruto.

"No."

"Shi!" He whined. "I _said_ I think we should make a big entrance. What do you think?"

He smiled, but I sweat dropped. "Idiot."

"What?!"

"Is it really smart to give away your position right from the start?"

"Well—"

"Surprise is the best element, but… do what you want. It'll be a good distraction."

"Yosha!" He fist pumped and we headed out onto the bridge. I stayed in the shadows, using the fog as best I could as I tried to pinpoint everyone's location. _Sakura's by Tazuna, and Kakashi is in front of Zabuza. Then Sasuke is… isn't that the same scent from the third voice? The one who took Zabuza away… So he did bring backup, but this isn't a good situation. I already smell blood._

Barely able to see through the fog, I frowned when I noticed a bunch of ice sheets formed nearby with Sasuke in the center and the head of a masked kid poking out from one of the sheets. I took a chance and threw a shuriken at the figure, knocking him out of the ice just as Naruto disappeared from my side. A smoke bomb must have been thrown and, just like he said he would, Naruto took center stage.

"Naruto Uzumaki has finally arrived! Now that I'm here everything will be fine! The main character of a story usually shows up in these types of situations and instantly kicks the enemy's ass!"

I heard Sakura cheer just as shuriken were thrown at him by Zabuza. I was about to reveal myself, but the masked kid did something unexpected and countered Zabuza's move with his senbon.

"Haku, what is this?" Zabuza said, and the masked kid answered.

"Zabuza, these kids, please let me fight them my way."

"So you don't want me to interfere, Haku? You're soft as always."

I searched around for Naruto, but when I spotted him inside the ice sheets, I mentally smacked myself in the face. _That idiot. It would be better if he just stayed outside to attack._ Quietly, I debated with myself on what to do. I either had to help Naruto and Sasuke, or help Kakashi with Zabuza. I wanted to do both, but I knew that if I tried to send a clone in with Naruto, it'd be destroyed. And sending a clone to Kakashi wouldn't help much either.

I bit down hard on my lip, letting the pain try to bring me back to my senses as my eyes scanned back and forth between Kakashi and Naruto. _Zabuza can stop my best technique with his water attacks and since Haku uses ice, fire should work, but Sasuke tried that. And technically, he's not using ice attacks, he's either using speed or cloning._ I sighed.

"Forget it."

I hurried over towards Kakashi as I heard Zabuza start laughing.

"Heheheh. They don't yet have the strength to destroy their hearts and kill another person. That young man knows the true pain of being a shinobi. A real shinobi can't be created in a peaceful village like yours, because you can't gain the most important thing. The experience of killing."

"Then what can we do, sensei?!" Sakura yelled as I slowed down and hid my presence, walking up behind Zabuza without a sound.

"Sorry but—" Kakashi slowly lifted his hand towards his headband. "I'm going to end this instantly."

"Heh, sharingan again? Is that the only thing you can do?"

I saw Zabuza reaching behind his shirt and I moved instantly, grabbing his hand and bringing my sword across his neck before he could attack.

"Why do that when he has me?" I spoke softly to Zabuza as his eyes widened.

"Shi!" Sakura shouted out in joy.

"Idiot, what are you doing?" Kakashi muttered.

I blinked at him. "Helping."

"Che." Zabuza scoffed. "You think this'll stop me?"

He swung his body around to kick me in the face, but I ducked and spun my sword around until it was pointed at his neck again. He ignored it and continued trying to attack me, but I kept dancing around him, just out of reach. Then, I suddenly stopped and started walking towards Kakashi, shocking them both.

"What the hell?! You just ignoring me now?!" Zabuza shouted.

"Not quite."

I stabbed my sword into the ground and kicked seemingly air. Unfortunately for Zabuza, I actually kicked the chain I had wrapped around his form while I was dodging him, and brought it down to the ground, tightening it around him. With his arms pinned to his sides, I walked up to him and got in his face.

"Nobody fucks with my team." I told him with ice cold eyes.

His own eyes grew wide but he still laughed. "Ha! And what the hell do you think you can do?"

I turned towards the ice where Naruto and Sasuke were still fighting and smirked back at him over my shoulder.

"They may not be able to kill, _but I can_."

Leaving him with that, I dashed to where the ice was only for me to feel a dark murderous intent from directly behind me. I ducked and brought my right foot up in order to kick Zabuza in the chin, but he had predicted this and knocked my other leg out from under me before my foot could make contact. I saw something metal aiming for my face and barely managed to twist my head to the side as the kunai sliced through my scarf.

Zabuza lifted the weapon again, but I kicked him in the stomach and stood up with my head tilted down, as he slid across the slick surface of the bridge. I pulled the two parts of my scarf off and stared at them sadly before tucking them away.

"That was my favorite scarf."

I muttered with my head still down, blocking my face from view. Then, I lifted my face up and pulled a hand through my short hair, a crazed smile on my face.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

* * *

Cloudy grey chakra started to cover Shi's form and her eyes became slits as they changed from their usual blue to a striking grey. Her canines became more pronounced and black marks started sliding down her left arm, as her breathing grew ragged and she slid down into her animalistic crouch. Electricity sparked off her body as well, it being the most uncontrollable of the elements, and her chakra gave her the appearance of a wolf before she suddenly disappeared in the surrounding mist.

Zabuza wasted no time trying to find her, as did everyone else in the area, until Shi finally showed herself. Her arm had come across in a sweeping motion from behind Zabuza and he dodged, but only barely. He swung his huge sword, but she easily jumped on top of the swinging blade and ran up to him. Wasting no time, he twisted the blade in a way where she was forced to jump off, but instead of jumping to the side like he expected, she jumped forward and over the top of his head; the chakra on her hand giving him three long scratches on his face and nicking the edge of the bandages covering his mouth. _Damn, she's fast, and she's not even using a weapon. What the hell. Guess I'll have to change tactics._

Making a quick hand sign, Zabuza made the mist thicker and he closed his eyes. Meanwhile, Kakashi was silently worrying about what was taking place, not only in front of him, but with Naruto and Sasuke too. _I'm worried about them, but I don't want to leave Shi here dealing with Zabuza alone. Although, with the way things are going, she might actually be doing better than I would have… but the chakra she has… Where is it all coming from? And how could she even be this powerful? It's almost like she's one of the jinchuriki. And if that's true, then I need to stop her before this gets out of hand._

Suddenly, something flew past him, hitting the ground hard but somehow managing to stay upright. Shi let out a low growl as blood dripped down her left arm from a gash near her shoulder and she glared into the mist. Kakashi lifted up his headband and activated his sharingan, but it wasn't much help towards him at all because the mist was so thick. _It's been a long time since I've been in a battle under such dangerous conditions._

"Shi, you need to calm down and start thinking rationally. You're not going to be able to defeat him acting on instincts alone."

When he received no answer, he turned to give her a glance and became even more concerned. This was not Shi anymore. _She's completely lost herself. This really isn't good. For all I know, she may not even be able to tell friend from foe. And all this over a scarf?_ Kakashi watched Shi carefully, while still keeping his senses on alert for Zabuza when she abruptly charged back into the mist, heading towards where Tazuna and Sakura were at. _Oh no!_ Kakashi was there instantly and blocked the path between Shi and Sakura, who was shocked at the amazing turn of events.

"Shi! Think about what you're doing!"

Shi paid no mind to his shout and ran straight at him. Seeing no choice, Kakashi regretfully pulled out a kunai to defend them from Shi's attack only for her to dodge to the side and jump towards them again.

"Kyaa!"

Right as Shi jumped, a blade lashed out of the mist and sliced through her back and down her upper thigh. She hit the ground and didn't move, as Kakashi's eyes widened. Shi hadn't been attacking Tazuna and Sakura, she had been protecting them from Zabuza while he'd been distracted with worry.

"Stupid pest…" Zabuza huffed. "Weren't fast enough… this time around… were you?"

He wasn't exactly in the best of shape and had multiple cuts as well as deep gashes all over his body. His right arm in particular was bleeding fairly heavily from wound near his elbow.

"You desire to save these brats clouded your mind. Che, and here I thought we were similar."

Shi slowly lifted an arm and placed it under her, trying to rise from the ground, but her other arm gave out on her. Kakashi stood in front of Zabuza now, determined to keep his attention on himself. He ordered Sakura to stay put and he jumped into the mist after Zabuza, his mind set on finishing this. _I won't just copy anymore. I'll show Zabuza my own jutsu._ _And end this, for all our sakes._


	3. Chapter 3

Blood poured down Shi's back as she finally managed to get back into her crouch. Sakura, concerned, took a step forward.

"S-Shi? Are you… okay?"

Shi turned her snarling face towards Sakura, letting out a low growl, causing Sakura to back off, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. _T-This isn't Shi! Something's wrong with her!_

"Shi!" She shouted. "Shi! Come back! S-Stop being this… this _thing!_ "

Her words didn't seem to have any effect at all on Shi until a murderous chakra suddenly surrounded the area. Sakura's whole body shook, but Shi simply looked away from her and let out a growl before charging into the mist once more.

Kakashi, having felt the same chakra and understanding that it was the cause of the ninetails' seal weakening, quickly began preparing his scroll to finish this fight. Brushing his thumb on the wound on his hand, he smeared it across the scroll, shouting at Zabuza the whole time.

"Zabuza, can you hear me… Neither of us has time to waste. This might not suit your style, but let's end the fun and finish this now!"

Zabuza snickered at Kakashi's words. "Hmph… Sounds interesting. What can you do in this situation? Kakashi, show me!"

Kakashi caught the falling scroll and did the hand signs, before slamming his palm into the ground. _Ninpou Summon! Earth Tracking Fang no Jutsu!_ Zabuza, not knowing what Kakashi had done, continued to wait, about ready to set his own plan into motion.

"Hmph, whatever you do is useless. You can't figure out where I am, but I know exactly where you are. Kakashi, you are trapped by my jutsu!"

Suddenly, the ground below Zabuza began to shake and he was only able to take half a step back before a group of dogs jumped out of the ground and held him down, giving him nowhere to go.

Walking towards him, Kakashi said, "If eyes and ears don't work, then just use your nose. That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist. This summoning is especially for tracking down an opponent. The reason I purposely let my blood spill was for this. These are my cute nin dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of all other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu. The mist has cleared, Zabuza, and your future is death."

As the mist slowly began to lift, Shi jumped out to Kakashi's right, growling as the grey chakra around her pulsated dangerously. Kakashi, as surprised as he was, still tried to calm her down. _It's not good if the ninetails gets even more riled up because of her, although it seems to have calmed down for now._

"Shi, let me handle this." He said calmly, hoping that she could still hear him somehow.

Zabuza, on the other hand, chuckled. "Why bother, Kakashi? Isn't it obvious she can't hear you? She's lost it."

Kakashi glared at Zabuza, but what he said still bothered him. _She's got to be in there somewhere._

"Shi. Leave Zabuza to me… Go check on Naruto."

He hoped that by mentioning Naruto like he did before that it would calm her somewhat, but she didn't seem to care this time around. The lightning on her body jumped and sparked, when she suddenly charged at Zabuza bringing her hand up to slash through him with the lightning. Unfortunately, someone got in the way and as her hand sliced through flesh, everyone's eyes went wide.

Standing before her was, not Zabuza, but Haku. Both were covered in blood, breathing heavily, but for different reasons. Haku was dying and Shi was exhausted, working on pure adrenaline.

"My future is death? Heh, you're wrong again, Kakashi." Zabuza said, seemingly indifferent to what had just happened.

Shi growled, trying to pull her hand out of Haku, but Haku somehow had a firm hold on her and wouldn't let go despite the fact that he'd already passed on. Zabuza saw this as his chance and pulled out his sword once more, charging towards Shi and Haku, ready to slice them both in two.

"Shi!" Kakashi shouted, trying to get through to her as she struggled with Haku's corpse. "Shi! Move!"

"I sure picked up something useful!" Zabuza shouted, a mere foot away. "Giving me this final chance!"

"Shi!"

The grey chakra around Shi suddenly pulsated and she grabbed Haku, jumping back and landing next to Kakashi before pulling her hand out of Haku's corpse and stepping further back as she took deep breaths. One of her eyes, Kakashi noticed, was back to its usual blue color and he mentally sighed in relief knowing that Shi was at least partially back.

"Heh, with Haku dead, you can move." Zabuza chuckled and Kakashi knelt down to Haku to close his eyes, giving Naruto a glare.

"Naruto, stay there."

Kakashi knew that Naruto was a kid who would never want to see someone treat another this way, especially since Zabuza and Haku were supposed to be friends, or comrades at least. Kakashi himself felt the same way. One should never abandon their comrades and using them like this was just as bad, if not worse, in his book.

Looking up at Zabuza, Kakashi glared. "This is my fight."

Sakura suddenly shouted out at Naruto, having just spotted him. "Naruto! You're okay! Huh? What about Sasuke? Naruto, where's Sasuke?"

All eyes went to Naruto and when he turned away biting his lip, Sakura's face fell. Even Tazuna was worried. _They are just kids._ Zabuza though, he could care less.

"Kakashi! This is no time for sightseeing!" He yelled as he charged at the unsuspecting Kakashi.

He couldn't keep up though. Kakashi was suddenly faster than he was before and Zabuza was powerless against him. No matter how many times he attack, Kakashi blocked him. As they fought though, Sakura's cries could be heard as she knelt over by Sasuke. Naruto clutched his jacket just above his chest, hearing her anguished cries rip through him, making him feel guilty. _It's my fault. He died protecting me._ Not feet away from him though, Shi shook violently, coughing up blood as the grey chakra cloak slowly dissipated and the black marks on her arms went back a few inches. Seeing this, Naruto hurried over.

"Shi! Shi! Are you okay?"

The moment he touched her shoulder though, she turned and snapped at him, voice slightly distorted. "Stay back!"

Naruto flinched, taking a step back when he noticed that Shi's left eye was a striking grey.

"U-Uh, Shi? Why is your eye different?"

Shi's eyes widened and she covered her left eye with her hand, looking down at the ground. "Just… stay away from me, please."

He winced, thinking that it was his fault she didn't want to be near him, when in fact, it was just the opposite. Shi just didn't want to end up hurting him. _I can't hurt anyone else._ Just then, she lifted her head, pulling her headband down over her eye for the moment and going to pull her scarf up only to remember that Zabuza tore it in two.

Kakashi and Zabuza hadn't seemed to notice it yet, but it looked like the man himself had just arrived on the bridge with a group of thugs following in his wake. They were about to find out though, when Kakashi plunged two kunai into Zabuza's other working arm, thus keeping him from forming seals now that both his arms were useless.

"Oh? You're getting your ass kicked. How disappointing, Zabuza."

Everyone except Sakura looked at the imposing group with caution. _Are they friends with Zabuza? Doesn't sound like it._ Shi thought, trying to keep her limbs steady.

"Gatou… Why are you here? And what's with all these men?" Zabuza asked, also not liking the odds stacked up against him.

Gatou laughed. "Heheh, the plan has changed. Well actually, I planned to do this from the beginning. Zabuza, I'm going to have you killed here."

"What?"

"I never planned on paying you any money. Hiring a normal ninja from the village is expensive and they may betray me. So I get you missing-nins who are easy to take care of afterwards. I have the ninjas battle each other and once they're weakened, I kill all of them off with numbers. It doesn't cost me anything. Good plan, don't you think?"

Shi growled lowly, coming up next to Kakashi, the marks on her arm peeking back out again.

Gatou went on. "The only problem in the plan was you, Zabuza. The devil of the hidden mist? What a joke, if you ask me… Hehe, you're just a cute little baby devil."

The men behind him cheered. "We can _easily_ kill you now!"

Without moving, Zabuza spoke over his shoulder. "Kakashi, I'm sorry. This fight is over. Now that I have no reason to go after Tazuna, I have no reason to fight you."

"Ah." Kakashi agreed. "You're right."

Gatou seemed to have noticed something then, and stepped forward. "Oh yeah. I owe this one." Speaking down to Haku's corpse, he frowned. "You squeezed my arm until it broke. Heh, he's dead."

Gatou kicked Haku's face, making Naruto furious. "What are you doing?! You bastard!"

Naruto charged, but Kakashi grabbed him by the collar, yanking him back. "Hey! Look at their numbers! Don't just jump in!"

Unfortunately, Kakashi wasn't quick enough to grab Shi as she rushed past, hurrying towards Haku's corpse with pure anger emanating off her.

"Shi!" Kakashi shouted, but was ignored as Shi stood over Haku's body, growling loudly.

Gatou, didn't see the danger and laughed. "What's this? Another beast? Ridiculous."

He brought his cane up and swung it down, only for it to snap in two the moment it made contact with the grey chakra that had once again begun to cloak around Shi.

"Ah!" He fell backwards with a thud, eyes wide, and the other thugs took a step back as well.

Anyone could feel the murderous intent radiating off of Shi, and the mere sighting of her sent shivers up their spines. Killers or not, Shi wasn't so injured that they'd have much of a chance against her. Zabuza though, was a different story. And now that Naruto had talked some sense into him, he was ready to roll.

"Kid, let me borrow your kunai."

Naruto nodded and tossed the weapon, Zabuza easily catching it in his mouth as he stated charging towards the group. Frightened, Gatou ran to the back of the group, shouting behind him.

"That's enough! Kill them!"

"Sure thing!"

"One badly injured ninja against these numbers?"

"You think you can win?" The group mocked him, just as Shi smirked and pulled the sword off her back.

"Then let's make it two."

She charged into the fray as well, ignoring Kakashi shouting at her from yards away, and the two of them took out a good half of the group of thugs; Zabuza getting in the final blow to Gatou, severing his head despite the numerous swords and other weapons embedded in his back. Shi was a bit luckier, having charged herself with magnetic energy to have the metal weapons bouncing off her chakra cloak.

Unfortunately, Zabuza was at his limit and he collapsed, surrounded by enemies. Noticing this, Shi hurried over and stood over him, growling at anyone who got close and ignoring Zabuza to complain about being protected by her.

"Oi… go away, brat."

"The hell I will."

Sakura shouted from the distance that Sasuke was okay and actually alive, lifting everyone's spirits, but the thugs were starting to get overconfident.

"Hey, hey, hey! You guys are too at ease!"

"Damn ninjas! You killed our meal ticket!"

"You guys are dead!"

"Now we're gonna pillage this city!"

"And take anything of value!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Let's begin!"

"Damn, this is bad." Kakashi muttered.

"Kakashi-sensei, don't you have a special jutsu to defeat them all?" Naruto called back, seeing just how bad this was.

"I can't. After summoning and using the sharingan this long, I used too much chakra!"

The group started to charge, but were halted by—not only an arrow—but Shi as well.

"If you come any further onto our island, the citizens of this country will stop you with everything we've got!" The people from the city shouted, having gathered to protect their home thanks to Inari.

Catching the hint, Naruto and Kakashi made some clones to trick the thugs into thinking that their side had the better odds, and it worked. That is as soon as Shi added her share of clones.

"Uwa! Let's get out of here!" The thugs shouted, running off to hopefully never return.

All the clones disappeared in puffs of smoke as the people from the city cheered and Shi dropped the chakra cloak once more as Kakashi made his way over to her and Zabuza.

"Looks like it's over, Kakashi… Brat."

"Hmph." Shi huffed, not pleased at being called a brat.

Zabuza chuckled at that. "Neh, Kakashi… I have a request."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked, bringing his headband down over his sharingan.

"I want… to see his face."

"Sure."

Kakashi picked him up and carried him over to Haku's corpse as snow began to fall. Shi went over and joined the others as well, swaying slightly. Once Zabuza had passed though, her energy must've ran out and she collapsed, surprising everyone.

"Oi! Shi!" Naruto shouted, hurrying over to her as Kakashi sighed.

"She overworked herself again." _Although that chakra… Hopefully the Hokage knows something about it._

Kakashi picked her up, carrying her once more as he got help from a few people to help carry Zabuza and Haku's corpses. _We'll bury them properly as soon as Shi is fixed up. Sasuke too._ It wasn't until two weeks later though, that everyone was healed up enough to start heading back to Konoha. They all visited the graves shortly, but then it was time to say their goodbyes.

"Thanks to you, we've completed this bridge, but…this is super sad." Tazuna said.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi replied with a closed-eye smile before he nudged Shi. "Oi, say thanks. You're the one who ate nearly all their food the moment you woke up."

Everyone laughed as Shi frowned behind her newly repaired scarf, rubbing her arm. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Don't worry! We'll come visit!" Naruto said, his face matching Inari's.

"You… better…"

Naruto seemed to be forcing himself, but managed to tease Inari a bit more. "Inari, you're sad, right? It's alright to cry!"

"I'm not going to cry! But Naruto, you can cry too!"

Naruto turned away with a short, "Fine… Later."

Naruto turned away, but Shi ruffled his hair as tears streamed down his face and they all walked off. She then remembered what Tazuna and Kakashi had spoken about before they left. _Bridge… Oh yeah… We need to name the bridge. Well I have a super perfect name for this bridge… Oh? What is it?… How about The Great Naruto Bridge?… Hehe, that's a good name… You sure about that name?… hehe, this name is in hope that this bridge will never crumble and will one day become a super famous bridge whose name is known throughout the world._ Shi looked down at Naruto, a worried look on her face, hidden by the scarf. _He's going to be a great kid… I need to protect him, but maybe it'd be better if I was as far away from him as possible…_

" _Shi! Come back! S-Stop being this… this thing!"_

" _What's this? Another beast?"_

" _Hnhn. What a lovely monster you'll make."_

"Oi! Shi! Are you even listening?"

Shi jumped, having been startled out of her thoughts by Naruto's shout. "Ah… No. Sorry."

"Ah! Shi! I said you gotta buy me some ramen when we get back! Just you and me, okay?"

"A-Ah. Sure." Shi replied, unsteadily while Naruto smiled and hurried a little further ahead with Sasuke and Sakura.

Walking quietly behind, Shi watched them enjoy themselves despite the near death experience they had just faced. _It must be nice to have nothing to worry about._ A hand came down on her shoulder and she looked over at Kakashi's smiling face.

"What're you so upset about, Shi? You're brows' wrinkled."

He poked between her eyebrows and she swatted his hand away with a sigh.

"I'm not… upset."

"Oh? Then what has you thinking so hard?"

Shi frowned. "Nothing… It's nothing."

Kakashi dropped the grin and raised a brow. "You sure? I may not have known you that long, but it's okay to talk to me, you know."

Shi nodded. "I know."

 _But how am I supposed to tell you what kind of monster I am?_


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a while since the mission with Zabuza and all my injuries were fully healed. I had been in some serious training when I returned though, thanks to Guy and Kakashi. For one thing, I had to wear a chakra suppressor bracelet now because Kakashi had to inform the Hokage about my previous rampages. I didn't mind for the most part—they were only trying to keep the village safe—but it made any training with my chakra much more difficult.

It was almost like starting over from scratch. My wolf runner that used to be the size of a small wolf, was reduced to the size of a small dog until I was able to measure out the appropriate amount of chakra I needed to use without losing control. It wasn't long though before I started learning more jutsus, and the bracelet helped a lot with chakra control. If I used too much, I'd end up exhausted before the day was through and chakra management was something that took a while to get used to.

My taijutsu though, was better than ever and Guy and I actually sparred more often than Lee and I. This only encouraged Lee to try harder of course and I enjoyed the warmth I felt when he continued to get back up with a large smile, even after being defeated. It was a new sensation that I hadn't felt in a long while. It was the same with some of the other genin I stayed with and I can recall feeling the same feeling back before I came here. My memories hadn't returned at all, but on occasion I would have the sense that I did something before. Like deja vu.

My genjutsu was still pretty bad and Kakashi tried his best to help me improve, but he said that I was better off without it since I was good with traps and could hide my presence extremely well anyway. We _did_ find out that I was fairly good at spotting the illusions though. Genjutsus on people were very easy for me to spot since, Kakashi claimed, my nose had a better sensing ability than he'd first realized. Although, I didn't appreciate him telling this to Guy, because my taijutsu training took a whole different direction when he thought it would be interesting to see what I could do blindfolded.

It was… difficult at first, but I began to remember how to rely on my other instincts like I did in the forest before. Soon enough, I could fight blindfolded with both Lee and Guy as well as a few other genin. Shikamaru was the only one this didn't really work on, since he used shadows, but his strategies when fighting always kept me on my toes. As did our shogi games. I'd gotten better at that as well, and found planning battle strategies to be very intriguing. I could even beat Asuma now.

Other things were beginning to catch my interest as well. When the Hokage had given me my bracelet, he had mention a Jiraiya coming in and possible working out a seal for me to keep my chakra in check. Curious, having only seen exploding seals before, I went and spent a whole week in the library looking things up on them. I couldn't get much, not having any jurisdiction above genin level, but I had enough to start working on figuring out my own seals.

I learned that I had already been doing one type of seal, which was on my arm in the form of a tattoo. It was the one I stored my excess chakra in for an emergency chakra reserve. Other than that though, I made a scroll that allowed me to carry most of my weapons and other things in. It made mission trips easier since I didn't have to carry everything, but I was still working on a way to make one that kept food from rotting. It would involve stopping time within the scroll and I was starting to wonder if that was even possible, but I wouldn't give up.

Another improvement I made, was expressing myself. I smiled a bit more, although my smiles were more like Kakashi's fake ones, and I spoke a lot more around people I knew. It surprised Kiba's team especially when I thanked Akamaru for warning me about an approaching enemy. I was still uncomfortable with strangers though and the few people I didn't talk to much, and I continued to keep the lower half of my face hidden—out of comfort more than secrecy. The only ones who had seen my full face were Kakashi and his team, and I preferred it that way since I had this nagging feeling that my calm days in Konoha were about to get crazy.

"Shi."

I opened my eyes wearily, having trained all day yesterday and came home late, falling asleep for maybe an hour before I glanced at the open window. It was Kakashi—he'd been coming to pick me up for missions ever since I got lost for over four hours in a bad part of Konoha—and I had apparently fallen asleep on the floor the night before. Not comfortable, but I didn't care at the moment.

"Mm. What? I'm tired." I yawned and scratched my head in a lazy manner before I started dozing off again.

Kakashi sighed and gave me a look. "Hey, the Hokage wants to see you. So you have to get going."

I groaned and rolled over onto my side with my back facing him. "Five more hours."

"What am I going to do with you?" He muttered, before climbing down and walking into my kitchen.

I was less than pleased when he returned, dumping a small glass of ice cold water on my face. Sitting up with a cough, I yanked down my scarf in order to be able to breathe, tongue hanging out as I gasped for air.

Kakashi smiled, eyes closed. "Hope you're awake now."

I frowned, but got up, stretching my arms over my head with a yawn before taking my scarf completely off to try and dry it before I went. Once I'd tossed it in the dryer, I headed into the kitchen to find Kakashi opening cupboards and looking around.

"What are you doing?" I asked, lazily grabbing an apple off the counter.

"You don't have much food here, do you?"

I shook my head. "I don't eat much."

He closed the cupboard and gave me a look. "That isn't healthy, Shi. You should eat at least two decent meals or else you'll run out of energy. Especially during missions and even training."

I shrugged my shoulders, not overly concerned. After all, I was used to less anyway. I was still trying to get my body used to eating _one_ decent sized meal. Just then, the dryer went off and I pulled my scarf out and wrapped it back around my neck, enjoying the warmth still lingering on it.

Kakashi chuckled. "You really like that scarf, don't you?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's mine. You can't have it."

He held his hands up. "I wasn't going to take it. I was just making an observation. We need to go though, Shi. This _is_ the Hokage we're making wait."

I nodded before Kakashi and I poofed outside the Hokage's office, knocking before entering the room slowly.

"Mornin'." I muttered as Kakashi did the same.

This wasn't the first time I'd shown up at his office half asleep, so the look he was giving me now was just a normal occurrence.

"You shouldn't work yourself so hard, Shi." He said with a sigh.

"Ah." I said and stood before his desk with another yawn, ignoring the occasional chuckle Kakashi was giving me.

"Anyway, I don't know if you've heard yet, Shi, but the chunin exams start tomorrow and in order for you to get higher missions and become a jounin, it is mandatory that you become a chunin first."

I nodded, lazily.

"I had a problem though, you see. The chunin exams are taken in teams of three and due to your… situation, I can't have you in any of the existing three man groups. I searched for a two man group, but there were none taking the exam. So now, you have a choice."

I scratched the back of my head and nodded for him to continue.

"You could either wait and take the exam next year or whenever a group of two will show up. _Or_ you could take it this year. However, you'd be doing it alone and not on any team."

I scrunched up my eyebrows, thinking it over.

"I've asked Kakashi as well as Guy to find out if they thought you'd be able to handle it alone and they both agreed that you are ready, but it is ultimately your decision on whether or not you feel ready for it. And, unfortunately, I need your answer right now in order to make sure everything is prepared correctly tomorrow."

I thought about it for a minute, thinking of the pros and cons of taking the test as well as if I thought I was truly ready. Before I made my decision, I decided to confirm something first and pointed to the chakra suppressor on my wrist.

"Ah, yes. Unfortunately, you must keep that on during the exam."

I frowned just a bit, but decided that it wouldn't be too much of an issue. "I will do it this year."

He smiled, turning to Kakashi and pushing a paper and pen in his direction. "That's good. Kakashi, I'll need you to give signed consent since Shi is technically _your_ student."

He nodded as well and signed a piece of paper, before the Hokage took it back and signed it as well, giving me a final glance.

"I will turn this application in for you, since Kakashi has informed me about your… habits of getting lost and I fear you'll lose it before tomorrow."

I gave him a closed eye smile, rubbing the back of my neck and he glanced at Kakashi with a raised brow.

"Seems you've been hanging out around her too much already. She's already starting to act like you." He then waved us both off. "You two can go ahead and go. Make sure you're not late, Shi, and show up at room 301 at the academy tomorrow morning at 4pm."

I nodded and walked out of his office with Kakashi at my side.

"I wish you good luck in your exam tomorrow, Shi. Although I'm sure you'll have no problem."

I gave him a short glance as we exited the building. "Right."

"Well," Kakashi said. "I have someplace I need to be, so I'll be seeing you."

I gave a short nod and he poofed off before I did the same, popping up in the shopping district and checking to make sure I had some cash to grab an early lunch. Seeing how I had just been scolded by Kakashi earlier. Once I confirmed that, I started to walk, only to bump into someone, catching them before they fell into the dirt. Low and behold, I had caught Sakura.

"Sorry." I muttered as she stood up and gave me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's okay, Shi. It was my fault. I was lost in my thoughts." Her smile slowly dropped and I frowned, knowing something was wrong.

The two of us may be on the same team, but we didn't really talk that much. I stuck around Naruto and Kakashi more and since she seemed more infatuated with Sasuke than anything, I never really saw a need to get too close to her. Call it my wolfish instincts. You don't mess with someone who doesn't want to mess with you.

Either way though, I could tell something was bothering her and I decided to fix it the same way I would fix any other problem. With food. I took her by the arm and brought her into a small restaurant that wasn't too crowded and sat her down at a small table in the back, where I was used to sitting should I want some time to myself.

"Uh, Shi? What are you doing?"

I blinked, confused and wondering if I was doing something wrong. _This is where I go when I'm bothered by something._ She seemed to catch on and shook her head with her hand up.

"Oh, no. It's not that I'm not hungry or anything. It's just… well… we don't really talk all that much and I don't really know what you're trying to do."

The waitress came by then before I could get a word out and I quickly ordered for the both of us, pointing at the menu. She was a waitress that was used to my silent behavior and silently nodded before heading off, leaving me dealing with an even more confused Sakura.

"Wha? Wait! You don't have to pay for me! I can—"

"No."

She stopped talking and I crossed my arms on the table before continuing.

"Something's bothering you."

She seemed surprised, trying to cover up her nervousness with false confidence. "T-That's not true! I'm perfectly fine! Nothing's bothering me!"

I simply stared at her, resting my chin on my folded arms as she shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. I wasn't trying to scare her or anything. I was simply trying to figure out what was bothering her by her actions and movements.

I'm not very good at figuring out people's emotions, having spent most of my time in this world in a cell being tortured, but I was slowly learning; and animal physicalities and actions were similar to human actions anyway, which helped. Apparently though, my staring had the opposite effect on Sakura and she seemed to have given up on hiding whatever it was from me.

"Fine! I'll tell you. Just… stop staring at me like that."

I raised a brow and tilted my head to the side. "Like what?"

He face flushed a bit and I swear I heard her mumble, "If you were a guy…"

The waitress then returned with our… _food_. It wasn't exactly lunch food, but I found sweets comfort better than anything else, so the double-decker triple sundae and banana split was, for me, as good as it could get. As I dug in though, Sakura stared at the desert in front of her in shock. Not knowing what her problem was with the chocolate sundae, I pointed my spoon at it.

"Eat."

She glanced up at me before looking back at it and picking up her spoon and eating some as well. Satisfied, I took another huge bite of my sundae before getting back to the situation at hand.

"What's wrong?"

She glanced up, before looking down in an ashamed manner. "Nothing's _wrong_. I just… don't know if I should take the chunin exam."

"Why not?" I questioned, shoveling another bite in my mouth under my scarf.

"Well, I-I just don't think I'm ready for it."

"Why not?" I asked again, and she glared at me.

"Are you even listening?"

I nodded, confused as to why she was angry with me. "You don't think you're ready. Why not?"

She sighed, realizing that I was listening. "I can't even keep up with Sasuke or Naruto."

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'so'?!"

I frowned behind my scarf. "You're different than them. You should find what you're good at and stop trying to follow them."

She stopped being angry and gave me a confused look. "What I'm good at?"

I nodded, poking at my ice cream. "Sasuke is good with speed. And Naruto is good with clones." I swirled around the whipped cream next. "But you have something they don't. Something…" I picked up the cherry between my fingers, twirling it around. "…unique."

I tilted my head back, lowered my scarf and dropped the cherry in my mouth.

"Like what? I'm not fast and I don't have a lot of jutsus. What can I do?"

"Hm." I hummed, pulling the—now tied—cherry stem out of my mouth and pulling my scarf back up. "Don't know."

She smacked her head with her hand, dragging it down her face while giving me a look. "How is this helping?"

I scooped up the last of my ice cream and got up, paying for both our deserts, looking over my shoulder as I shrugged.

"It doesn't. _You_ need to figure it out."

With that, I left mentally wondering if maybe I should've handled that better, but a yawn interrupted my thoughts and I poofed back to my apartment. Now wasn't the time to worry about things. Now was the time to sleep and rest up for the exam tomorrow. _Huh, Naruto and them still don't know I'm going, do they? Oh well. They'll find out soon enough._

* * *

Instead of possibly being late, I easily snuck into room 301 later and slept there overnight, managing to even sleep through a good number of students coming in. I was sitting in the front with my Icha Icha book covering my face and my feet up on the table, dozing. I was paying attention for the most part, but only to make sure no one was thinking about trying to attack while I slept. After all, people from all sorts of nations were here and I was particularly keeping my ears out for the Sound ninja should they be a part of Orochimaru's gang. Something told me he wouldn't be too far behind if they were and I only grew more nervous when I heard Kabuto's voice talking to someone. _That lackey hardly ever leaves Orochimaru's side. Best keep an eye out for the damn snake._

Just then, Naruto shouted out, loud as ever.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I won't lose to you bastards! You got that?!"

I sighed, lifting the end of my book and turning in my seat to peek up at him as he put his hands behind his head. _He's going to get himself killed one day with that mouth._ I then noticed the Sound ninja moving in, but they weren't going after Naruto from what I could see, so I ignored the mess they were causing and went back to relaxing. _I haven't been noticed after all, so I best keep to myself while I still can._ Of course, that only lasted a few minutes before a cloud of smoke appeared at the front and a deep voice shouted through the room.

"Quiet down you worthless bastards!"

I recognized the voice and frowned, peeking out from under my book again to see Ibiki Morino standing not a few feet from me. Needless to say, he and I did not get along even though we only knew each other for maybe half an hour. He was the one in charge of seeing if I was a threat when I first came to the village and, since I was cooperating, he wasn't allowed to use torture like he wanted and instead found my few worded answers a pain. After merely introducing himself though, I could feel all the energy in the room tense. He confronted the Sound ninjas then and they mentioned something about them getting carried away.

"Here's a good opportunity to say this. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" Ibiki said seriously and a number of students shivered or gulped in fear.

"We will now start the first test in the chunin exams. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

Mentally sighing, I counted off in my head. _3... 2... 1..._

"What?! A paper test?!" Naruto shouted.

My mouth twitched towards a smile, but then I put my book away with a yawn and got up to grab a number and find my seat, only for Naruto to spot me and point me out to the room.

"Shi?!"

I sighed while Ibiki snickered. "Looks like you've been spotted."

I turned towards Naruto, scanning the glaring faces of the other genin, before ignoring his shouting and rested my head on my arms with a yawn. Then everyone was seated down at their assigned seats and the tests were passed out. Ibiki started explaining the rules, but I could care less and just wanted to get the test started and over with. Once he finished, I barely glanced at the board where he wrote the rules before flipping my test over lazily and looking over the questions.

" _Line B, seen in the picture, is the greatest possible distance a shinobi can throw his shuriken from a tree of 7 meters. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken's range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work."_

I blinked a few times, before moving on and looking at the other questions. They were all of similar difficulty, but I could answer some and did so before calculating my score. Once I was sure I had at least the number of points to pass—using my kunai I had stuck in the ceiling earlier as a mirror—I stretched and laid over my test for a nap. _All I need is enough points to pass and then I have nothing to worry about. Naruto and the rest, on the other hand, have some serious thinking to do._ I opened an eye and glanced over at Naruto, boredly. He was definitely having a rough time. I could smell his panic from where I was. I wanted to help him too, but I wasn't quite sure how I could without getting caught. I then saw Hinata trying to help him out and closed my eyes once again. _He's in good hands._

I fell asleep easily, not worried about being attacked or anything as long as the proctors were in the room, but still stayed semi-alert so as to be awake for the tenth question. It didn't even feel that long before Ibiki was telling us that our time was up.

"Okay, and now, we will begin the tenth question." There was a bit of suspense, before he said something unexpected. "Now, before we get to it, I'd like to go over the added rules for this question."

The door clicked open then and some kid in a cat costume walked in with someone who smelled an awful lot like wood. _A fake?_ Ibiki clarified that but didn't seem to care that the kid was cheating and moved on.

"I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation. First, for this tenth question, you must decide whether you will take it or not."

"Choose?! What happens if we choose not to?!" A girl shouted angrily.

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero. You fail! Along with your two teammates."

I silently wondered how that would apply to me, when one of the proctors received a signal from Ibiki and handed me a piece of paper discretely. I didn't quite know what this was for, but I understood when I opened it. The rules had changed for me. If I choose not to take the tenth question, all of Team Seven will fail. _That's Naruto's team. They don't even know about this, so if I choose not to, all three of them will hate me. It shouldn't bother me so much, but it seems I have gotten attached. Damn._

"And now, the other rule."

My attention focused solely on Ibiki, eyes watching him for any hint of lies.

"If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly, that person will lose the right to ever take the chunin exam again."

My fist clenched, but I showed no other response, even as Kiba yelled.

"What kind of stupid rule is that?! There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki began to laugh, amused. "You guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules, but I am giving you a way out. Those who aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year. Now let's begin the tenth question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

The silence grew tense as everyone began to panic, silently choosing whether or not to stay and take the final question. _It's certainly a tough decision. You either fail and never return, or you give up and your entire team has to wait another year._ I watched as one by one, people began raising their hands and I silently worried about Naruto. _If it's another written question, then he will be screwed and will never become the Hokage like he wants. But then… why wouldn't it be on the paper with the other written questions? Just because Ibiki likes to mess with people's minds? For all we know, there is no tenth question at all and it's just a stress test to see if we will give up without even trying. That's it, I've decided. I said it before, Naruto and them are the future. If I fail the tenth question and am never allowed to become a ninja, so be it. As long as it gives them a chance._ Taking a deep breath, I leaned back in my seat and relaxed, knowing that it was up to Naruto and them now to decide whether to take the last question. Then, something I didn't expect happened. Naruto rose his hand… only to slam it on the table and begin yelling.

"Don't underestimate me! I will not run! I will take it! Even if I'm a genin forever! I'll will myself to become the Hokage anyway, so I don't care! I'm not afraid!"

Immediately, the whole room seemed to relax. The tension was gone and people who I knew were going to put their hands up, were now confident even as Ibiki questioned him.

"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."

"I follow my unbending words. That's my ninja way."

I closed my eyes, but left one open to watch Ibiki's reaction to what Naruto had done. Nothing really showed, but when he glanced up at me to see me unfazed, I noticed his lips twitch downward. _Heh, sorry to kill your fun, Morino._ He then turned back to everyone.

"Good decisions. Now, to everyone still remaining… I congratulate you on passing the first test!"

Everyone was lost. Absolutely and completely confused as to what Ibiki was telling them and I couldn't help but smirk to myself, pulling out my Icha Icha book and continuing where I left off. I pretty much ignored all conversation after Ibiki told us that we had passed. I could care less about the specifics of it since I had figured out most of it along the way, but when he reached up to remove his forehead protector, I lifted my eyes to stare at numerous scars covering his head.

"Because, in times, information is more important than life. And on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it."

I stared back at the scars blankly, but my mind was in turmoil, remembering everything Orochimaru's had done to me. All the pain, the struggling, the fighting. All of it was flashing right in front of me and I felt my old wounds beginning to ache at the remembrance, that beast inside of me fighting to be let out as the chakra suppressor on my wrist sparked, locking it back in place. I took in a deep breath, ignoring the bead of sweat that trailed down the side of my face, and let it out slowly as I controlled myself; listening to Ibiki's final words.

"No matter what the danger, there are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship… This is the ability needed to become a chunin captain. Those who can't put their lives on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of 'there's always next year', and then walk away from their chance… Those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices don't have the right to become a chunin. That's how I feel!"

His serious face turned into a small smile and I silently watched, having controlled myself for now.

"Those who choose to take it answered the tough tenth question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You have made it through the entrance, the first test of the chunin exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."

"Hell yeah! Wish us luck!" Naruto shouted, just when I noticed something heading towards the window.

I wasn't the only one though and since none of the proctors were reacting to it, I deemed it not hostile and sat back in my seat with my arms crossed over my chest. Kunai shot out of a black mass, unraveling it to reveal a woman who I recognized with a sigh. _It_ would _be her. Great._

"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test! Anko Mitarashi! Now let's go! Follow me!"

Nobody moved and I felt a small smirk make its way onto my face. _Looks like your timing was off, Anko._ She glanced around the room with a frown, not even noticing me yet, thank Kami. I was wrong though.

"79? Ibiki! You left 26 teams and an idiot?!"

I frowned at that, knowing she was talking about me. Ever since we met, she had deemed me as stupid because I never talked much. So this really shouldn't come as a surprise, but that didn't mean it didn't bother me a bit.

"I'll explain everything once we've changed placed, follow me." Anko said, before looking directly at me. "Not you, Shi!"

I froze, thinking the worse mostly because everyone was glaring at me now thinking that I had connections with the proctor. I also noticed her smirk. _She knows she's pinning a target on me too, jerk._

I sighed, which she knew meant I was listening.

"Get me the usual! You know where to go!"

I was about to ask her about the money, but she'd already jumped out the window, leaving me with a group of laughing jounin and chunin. As they all left, a few gave me pats on my back, wishing me good luck and I took off, poofing to the shop that Anko usually goes to to get her dango.

Now, a bit about Anko. She's a pain. She drags me drinking with her every chance she gets since I seem to be one of the few people who can keep up with her, and she _loves_ to push me around and get me to get things like this for her. I'd just not do it, but the last time I did that it didn't end well and she discovered my severe dislike of snakes, which she now hangs over my head like some kind of trophy since most of her jutsus use snakes. It surprised me the first time around, but she and I grew rather close; probably due to our connections with Orochimaru.

I found out about her curse mark when I was carrying her home after a rough night out and hadn't bothered to bring it up, but I think she knew that I saw it. Neither of us changed our actions towards each other though. She still acted very aggressively and Naruto-like and I stayed my quiet blunt self, but it was as though something had changed after that. Like we both understood what the other was carrying and since then, we'd hang out at a bar or dango shop on occasion.

I sighed as I approached where Anko's scent was coming from, dango bag in hand. Once I'd touched down though, she had already started explaining something. _Knowing her, it's probably important._ Sure enough, she had already started handing out agreement forms and was holding up a map before she spotted me.

"Shi! You're late! How long does it take you?! Years?!"

I handed her the bag which she took, before punching me hard in the back of the head, leaving me crouching on the ground as I held my head.

"Moving on!" She shouted. "Around practice arena no. 44 are 44 locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about 10km. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will complete in a no rules scroll battle."

Anko held up a couple of scrolls, one black and the other white differently labeled.

"You will fight over these two scrolls, the 'heaven' and 'earth'. There are 79 people here, meaning 26 teams and this idiot." She kicked me in the side lightly. "Meaning 26 teams. Half, 13, will get the 'heaven' scroll and the other 13 teams will each get the 'earth' scroll. Shi, on the other hand—"

I looked up at Anko, not liking where this was heading. "Will get _both_ scrolls."

My head dropped as a cloud of depression hovered over me. _She's_ trying _to get me killed!_

She was full on grinning at this point as she went on. "To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

"So 13 teams will lose their scrolls. Half the teams will definitely fail, but Shi—"

Anko cut Sakura off. "But there's a time limit. This second test will last 120 hours. Exactly five days. _Shi_ , the exception of this whole test, will not be allowed to enter the tower until the third day. So she's free game until then."

My cloud grew darker as I hung my head, feeling the bloodthirsty glances aimed my way.

"What about dinner?!" Chouji shouted, probably one of the few people who wasn't even caring about my predicament.

"You're on your own. The forest is full of food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous plants…" She quickly got back on topic. "And 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther and the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep."

Immediately, Naruto took a step back, eyeing me as I grew tense, murderous intent rolling off me in waves. I _loved_ my sleep. Anko wasn't bothered though, probably knowing that that would encourage me a bit.

"So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course. Now, I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First," Anko held up a finger. "Those that don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, within the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate or those who have a teammate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle. You will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule. You must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does. A chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your worthiness. That is it for the explanations. Exchange the three forms for your scroll, then choose a gate to get ready for the start. A final word of advice… don't die."

The groups began to shuffle off and just as I got up, Anko tossed the two scrolls she had at me, which I caught.

"Good luck, moron."

I frowned. "No thanks to you."

She just laughed heartily, opening up her dango container and eating the first one as I made my way over to my gate with her. She glanced at her watch, counting down to the last seconds before calling out to everyone as the test began, all of us launching through the gates and into the forest that would certainly destroy a good number of us. _Good luck, me. After all, I'm enemy number one. Let's hope I make it through this in one piece._

* * *

Not five minutes through the gate, and I heard a group shouting out in pain. I sighed, jumping from branch to branch as I made my way to the tower. _I have to be here for three days. Nothing's going to change that, but I need to find the best place to wait those three days out. Staying by the tower's probably the worst idea since others will think of that just to get scrolls. Then staying by the gate is stupid too since I'll end up wasting all my energy trying to get to the tower on the third day that I'll be open for attacks._ Just then, I caught a whiff of a scent and dodged a kunai that was thrown.

"Well look what we found, guys!" A kid chuckled, perched up on a tree branch not far away, flipping another kunai.

"Seems we found the exception." Another said, coming up behind me on the ground.

 _Hm, both from the Hidden Grass. Not good. They have the advantage in this sort of terrain._ Shifting my stance into a crouch, I relaxed all the tense muscles in my body, preparing for a quick burst of speed.

"Oh? She giving up already?"

My eyes snapped open and suddenly, I was gone. The first kid didn't even know what had hit him before he coughed up blood, my kunai stabbed through his back. The other one quickly reacted, eyes wide in horror, but he was acting foolishly out of anger and made the mistake of charging right in. Once he was taken care of, I searched them both for scrolls and found none, reminding me that there was a third person in this group.

I was just a split second too slow and a sword pierced straight through my chest. Blood pooled out of my mouth and down my chin as I felt my heart trying to pump around the foreign object to no avail. As my vision was fading to black though, I smirked and disappeared into a puff of smoke, the real me behind the final male with my sword held in front of his throat.

"Scroll." I muttered, holding my other hand out.

The kid swallowed. "W-Why? Don't you have both already?"

"Insurance."

The kid slowly reached into his pouch to get it, hands shaking. Not soon enough, I took the earth scroll from him and removed my sword from his neck, turning to walk off but the kid called out to me.

"I hate you!"

I halted, turning to look at him as he cried, holding his teammates, only for them both to start moving, groaning in pain. The kid seemed shocked, but before he could say anything, I hurried off. _I've grown soft._ I sighed to myself, heading even deeper into the forest, when I caught the scent of something that sent shivers up and down my spine. I stopped on a branch and turned my head towards the smell, hands shaking as a wind coming from that direction only confirmed my fears.

"N-No." I whispered shakily, memories hitting me like a tidal wave. "H-He can't be here."

I was about two seconds from running to opposite direction to get as far from him as possible, when I caught the scent of ramen. I froze and glanced back, swallowing thickly as I tried to make a decision. _H-He's over there… but so is Naruto. Sakura, Sasuke… am I really willing to let my fear of him control me to this extent? They need my help. B-But he's there… What do I do?_ I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply before snapping my eyes open and dashing as fast as my legs would carry me towards my worst fear. _I just hope I'm not too late._

I pushed myself faster and faster straining my muscles to the point where I worried about how I would be able to get away once I finished. Clenching my eyes shut, I forced myself to slow my pace just a bit. _I can't get over there with no energy left. I could care less about myself, but those kids need to get out of there now!_ Finally, I landed just above the scent were a huge snake was, just as Naruto unleashed his monstrous chakra, hitting the snake on the nose. I was about to jump in, but then I spotted the man himself, using a wind jutsu to knock Naruto into a tree. As much as I wanted to, I hung back, watching for just the right moment to jump in.

 _I can't go too soon or I'll only end up getting us all into more danger. Too late though and…_ I shoved the thought from my mind and grit my teeth as I watched the huge snake approach Sasuke, only for Naruto to stop it. _He's got a lot of power right now, but I don't know how long it'll last and since he revealed it right away, Orochimaru is either going to kill him or do something to him as an experiment. Either way, it's…_

"Not good." I muttered under my breath, just spotting Orochimaru wrapping his tongue around Naruto. _This is my only chance._

I jumped, praying that I'd make it, just as Orochimaru did some hand seals, fingers glowing a light violet, but just as he thrust his hand forward, I cut between them, taking the hand to my stomach with a pained expression as I grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Oh!~ I haven't seen you in so long, mutt."

"Shi!" Naruto and Sakura called out, but I was more than preoccupied at the moment as my chakra began to surge, sparking around me while Orochimaru twisted his fingers further into my stomach, revealing a black seal that even _I_ didn't know was there.

"You're in the way." Orochimaru hissed.

"Good." I growled in return, pulling out a kunai and slicing through his tongue, forcing him to drop Naruto and sending him back a few steps in pain.

I shook violently, falling onto one knee as I cradled my stomach, smoke drifting out from under my fingers as the seal burned away into nonexistence. The only thing holding back the beast now, was the Hokage's chakra seal and even that was burning into my flesh.

"Shi!" Naruto called out, having reverted back to himself for now. "What are you doing here?!"

"Naruto!" I snapped back, not moving my eyes from Orochimaru. "Sasuke! Sakura! All of you get out of here. Now!"

"W-What?" Sakura said.

"We're not leaving you here!" Naruto shouted in return.

"Go! Dammit!" I shouted, surprising them since it was very rarely that I ever shouted. Especially this seriously. "This isn't the same as Zabuza! He'll kill you! Now leave!"

Orochimaru smirked. "There's no point in leaving. I'll simply kill you and follow them. You haven't got what I'm looking for anyway."

 _So he's looking for something, but what? Something relating to power. Not necessarily an object._ I stopped thinking about it momentarily when he charged forward, me dodging his initial attack and drawing my sword off my back as I ran towards him. My weapon clashed with his kunai and he just laughed as we exchanged blows.

"Why bother, mutt?! I've seen everything you can do already! I _made_ you!"

"The hell you did!" I yelled in response, doing move after move in the hopes that Naruto and them had listened to me. I was only buying them time.

Just then, I somehow managed to slice him clean through, lopping his head from off his shoulders, but he disappeared into smoke as Sakura screamed.

" _Naruto_!"

I turned in a split second, only to witness the actual Orochimaru shoving his chakra laced palm into Naruto's stomach as he had tried to do before.

"Same as ever, mutt! Or should I call you _Shi_." He laughed.

Then he threw Naruto over his shoulder, Sakura managing to through a kunai and pin him there to keep him from falling to his death. She began shouting something at Sasuke, but all sound was lost to me in that instant. The beast was beginning to take over and everything around me was just turning into static noise as that vision of Orochimaru hitting Naruto replayed over and over in my head.

 _ **Kill him!**_

Nothing was going to stop me. Not Naruto, not Sakura, not Sasuke.

 _ **Kill him!**_

The power was flooding through me, like flames as they licked away at the edges of the Hokage's seal on my wrist.

 _ **Kill him!**_

Then, I disappeared.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't sit back anymore. Sakura was right. He can't let Naruto get ahead of him. He was supposed to kill his brother! How can he do that, if he can't even handle one creep? Grabbing as many weapons as he could, he laced himself to the teeth and activated his sharingan. He was going to have to jump into this battle and not even Shi was going to stop him.

Orochimaru began running around on the tree's thick branch, enjoying Sasuke's creativity as they battled, throwing kunai and dodging. Just as a shiriken came around to kill him, Orochimaru caught it in his mouth, laughing.

"Heheh. Too bad—"

His eyes widened though, when he saw what Sasuke's real plan was. Fire raced up the metal wire and burned Orochimaru's face, except, it wasn't his actual face and it peeled away easily.

"To be able to use the sharingan so well at this age. You truly are the man that carried the Uchiha blood. Just as I thought. I want you."

He smirked and suddenly, Sasuke and Sakura were frozen in place.

"I had fun testing your powers. You really are brothers. I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."

"Who the hell are you?!" Sasuke managed to shout out.

"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam." Orochimaru set the scroll of heaven he had taken from them and set it aflame. "Of course, defeating my men the Sound nin trio on the way."

"What the hell are you talking about?! We'd never want to see your face again!" Sakura shouted, silently wondering where Shi was in a time like this.

"Hehe, it won't go that way." Orochimaru chuckled, making a couple more hand signs as his neck suddenly extended towards Sasuke.

Before he reached him though, a blurred grey figure grabbed a hold of his neck in powerful jaws, tearing it away from Sasuke and Sakura as Orochimaru cried out.

"Agh! What are you—" His eyes widened as he stared back at Shi's slitted grey eyes as she pulled him right off the tree, breaking the spell between him and the two others.

As they crashed into the branches below, Orochimaru retracted his neck, bringing a hand up to try and stop the bleeding as he stared into the cloud of debris. A low growl echoed though the tree as a snarling muzzle poked out of the cloud followed by two grey eyes full of hatred.

Orochimaru couldn't believe it. All those years he had experimented on people in an attempt to create a new body worthy of himself, but he also worked to create what he called a jinchuriki killer. A beast that, while wasn't one of the original jinchuriki, was capable of being on par with one and destroying it, if need be. Again and again he struggled with different formulas and equations and none seemed to be working. All the people were too weak to handle the sheer power that this beast needed to be capable of.

But then he discovered a woman who just appeared out of nowhere with an amazing amount of chakra. He almost couldn't believe it, that she would just sit there and let it ebb out of her like she had no enemies to worry about. Then when he heard her speaking about coming from another world, he spotted his chance and grabbed her. She handled the experiments exceptionally well, which showed promise, but time after time she failed all the tests. _Useless._ He thought. She was capable but wasn't showing any of the results so he decided to get rid of her. That same day though, she escaped and wasn't seen or heard of since.

And now he'd found her, but didn't expect much. It was far too easy to get to the loud blonde child and releasing her seal was just a blunder on his part. He never expected this though. He never expected that she would have taken to the experimentation so well and was actually capable of using that hidden energy. None of his other experiments could get past the first stage and yet here she was. Past the first, through the second, completely skipping the third, and having gone straight into the fourth stage.

She wasn't human anymore. Hardly, anyway. The best word to describe her would simply be: a beast. The figure of a wolf only the size of a large house. Teeth sharper than any weapon you could hope to purchase and larger than ever imagined. Muscles taunt, able to be seen rippling past her cloudy grey fur as she walked and a look that could kill. The emotions weren't there anymore. Instinct had entirely took over, leaving room for little to no error while in battle, which was exactly what she was going for as she let out a deep breath, smoke seeming to have poured from her jaws.

Then, she was gone. Orochimaru quickly glanced around, but couldn't spot her even when she showed up directly in front of him and took him in her jaws before throwing him through tree after tree. Once he had finally stopped, he only had time to glance up before she was once again in front of him, a deep rumbling voice chuckling as it grabbed a hold of his leg and threw him like a rag doll once more.

" _ **Pathetic snake."**_

It went to attack him again, but Orochimaru was prepared this time and dodged it. _There's no stopping it once it's going. That was what I was supposed to finish working on should it have succeeded in the tests, but she never showed any signs of it working! Without a method of control—How is this even possible?! She couldn't have been hiding the result the whole two years, could she?!_ Hit after hit, dodge after dodge, Orochimaru was growing weaker and weaker by the minute, searching for a way out of this situation. Then, he spotted it.

Taking his chances, he created a clone in the hopes that it would distract her as it did before. Unfortunately, it completely bypassed the clone, not even sparing it a glance before it hit him with a monstrous paw, but throwing him near his destination nonetheless. Quickly, he did the hand signs, took one look at Sasuke to paralyze him and attacked him once more. As he had planned, the beast went to interfere only for a huge snake to fly out of the branches above and wrap itself around the beast, biting deeply into its neck as Orochimaru did the same with Sasuke.

Sasuke cried out in pain and when Orochimaru heard the pained cries of his dying snake, he hurried off into the forest, attempting to escape the beast that he knew would be following him. As he did though, he bumped into none other than Anko. They fought only briefly before she was practically immobilized. He could sense the beast coming though and quickly finished up his little speech to his old apprentice.

"I'm going to enjoy this." He said. "Although I never expected the experiment to have actually worked."

"W-What are you… talking about?… Experiment?" Anko gasped out.

Orochimaru smirked. "Haven't you already met her? You two seemed to be good friends, although, I wonder if she has enough control of herself to remember that before she kills you. Let's find out."

Orochimaru smirked, doing some hand signs and transforming Anko into a copy of himself with a genjutsu.

"I'd stay to watch, but she'd probably maul me to pieces before I could see anything interesting."

With that, he poofed off just as Anko heard what sounded like a hurricane making its way through the forest towards her. Her eyes widened though when she saw what it actually was. _H-Holy…_ The beast immediately gazed down at her, causing her to shake uncontrollably as the beast seemed to smirk at her. It opened its huge jaws and went to eat her, only to stop and pull back, closing its mouth and instead bringing its nose close to her and blowing up a gust of wind as it sniffed.

As soon as it was done, it lifted its head and sniffed again before lowering its head with a growl. Anko decided to take her chances and forced herself up to get away from the beast, dismissing the genjutsu. But what Orochimaru said had her concerned. _An experiment? We're close? What the hell was he talking about? And for this thing to do so much damage to him, this isn't any normal beast._ She stumbled, tripping over a root in her exhausted state and the beast turned its head back towards her with a low growl.

" _ **You. Where is the snake?"**_

Anko froze in fear just by seeing the thing's eyes, filled to the brim with hatred and murderous intent. She couldn't even swallow let alone answer the thing. It appeared to scowl before grabbing her in its jaws, jumping off the branch and landing easily on the ground. It began walking with her hanging from its mouth, not the least bit concerned about anything other than finding Orochimaru. Anko, using the last of her strength, reached for a kunai to attack the beast into letting her go, but her hands were shaking too badly. _I haven't ever felt this much fear. Not even from Orochimaru. W-What is this beast?_

Suddenly, the beast stumbled, managing to catch itself but even Anko could tell something was wrong as it's breathing grew heavier and heavier. Just as they got to a decent sized clearing, the beast halted, tossing her to the side as something jumped onto its back. Anko was then forced to watch as a band of tigers attacked the beast in its weakened state. As soon as the one tiger was taken down, the second one bit down onto the beast's leg, enticing a menacing growl and the two animals froze upon meeting its eyes. Both tigers released the beast and slowly backed off with tails hanging low before they turned and ran off.

The beast scoffed, but then cringed, taking a step back only to step wrong and tumble to the ground. It laid out the best it could in the small space, and set eyes on Anko once more, who went stock still. Its eyes though, had changed from that murderous grey to a familiar blue. She wasn't as afraid of it as she had been before and something about it seemed…

"Idiot?" She gasped out, taking a guess.

It scoffed once more, closing its eyes. _**"Says you, jerk."**_

She was surprised, having never expected this… thing to be Shi. Just then though, Shi lifted her massive head with a low growl as two Anbu approached. The one started doing hand signs, but Anko stopped him.

"Wait! Don't!"

"Are you insane, Anko? That thing could kill you!"

Shi growled menacingly and the two Anbu went still, fear creeping into their hearts. Anko just walked closer to it, ignoring the two and touched Shi's fur, bringing her attention back to her.

"Shi, can you change back?"

Shi cringed. _**"I can… try but that damn snake broke the seal and I've been poisoned as well… It will be hard to keep down for more than a day or two."**_

Anko nodded and Shi sighed, relaxing as best she could before trying to shove all the excess chakra back. It was a painful process and as soon as Shi was done, she collapsed, still conscious, but barely. Anko tried to help her, but her curse mark was acting up as well and she fell to her knees too.

"Are you alright? Hey." One of the Anbu asked, going to her side while the other gave Shi a hesitant look.

"Uh, what do I do with this one?"

Anko looked at him with a pained expression. "Take her too. She needs a high grade seal… _fast_."

The Anbu nodded, lifting Shi as the other did the same to Anko, surprised when he spotted the curse mark.

"The curse mark has reappeared. This can't be. Orochimaru… Damn, we will take you to the Hokage then."

"No. To the tower. Both of us." Anko argued.

"What are you talking about!? Martial law must be implemented the moment Orochimaru appears! The exam is meaningless now!"

"I'll explain everything at the tower. Have the Hokage meet us there."

Once the four of them reached the tower, Anko was sat in a chair while Shi was laid down on the couch, pain etched onto her face as her chakra flared only to go back down.

"Things are getting bad, but we can't stop the exam!" Anko said, rather loudly.

"What do you mean?" The bird Anbu asked.

A man suddenly slammed the door open asking Anko to view an important video and she got up to go, but gave Shi a look.

"You'll be alright, idiot?"

Shi nodded, fist clenching over her stomach. "For now."

Anko nodded and left, leaving Shi to wait desperately for the Hokage to come and see what he could do.

* * *

Once Anko had left, I was left to my own devices to try and control all the power that was trying to take over. Never before had I had to deal with this much raw power and I could feel it slowly eating away at my barriers. I tried to even shove some of the excess power into my tattoo seal, but it could only hold so much and had already extended to the back of my hand and towards my chest. Any more, and the seal would break, releasing it all.

"I-Is there, uh, anything I can do?" The Anbu who had been left behind asked, approaching me.

I wearily opened an eye and croaked out, "Water."

He nodded and hurried off to get me some, just as my chakra spiked again. I cried out, but stifled it down as best I could and clenched my eyes shut as I tried not to release all the power building up inside me. The Anbu returned not much later and actually helped me by holding my head up for me so I could drink the water, and it felt like hours for Anko to return looking surprised about something. Her expression changed though when she got a good look at me.

"Geeze. You look like shit."

I managed a small glare, before I cringed, chakra levels spiking once again. _Not good. The spikes are happening in a shorter amount of time. It's getting harder to keep it under control and the poison isn't helping._ Once I'd suppressed the chakra again, Anko began barking out orders, seeing that I wasn't going to be able to keep it back much longer in the kind of shape I was in.

"Get me a medic nin in here! Weren't you guys listening when I said she was poisoned too?!"

A couple of the Anbu hurried out to grab a medic ninja, but I was concerned that that wouldn't do much. As I looked at Anko though, I could tell she was tense for reasons other than myself.

"Anko… You okay?"

She turned to me with a raised brow. "Why the hell are you worrying about me when you're practically dying here on the couch?"

"Because…" I huffed out. "I'm not the only one hurt."

She gave me a disbelieving look before smirking. "You know, this is the most I've ever heard you talk, idiot."

"Don't get used to it." I muttered, cringing.

Just then, the door opened and a medic nin hurried in with the two Anbu before coming over to me and looking me over with wide eyes.

"Her chakra level is—"

"Shut up. We know!" Anko interrupted. "Just take care of the poison, will you?"

The medic nin nodded and pressed his glowing hands onto the wound on my neck, only for my chakra to lash out. I was suddenly thrust into black as my instincts tried to take over once again. I had growled at the medic nin and he was launched off of me as a thick wave of chakra managed to escape my hold, before I reeled it back in and regained my vision. The medic nin was out cold when I awoke from the short loss of control and I was breathing heavily as I stuttered out an apology.

"S-Sorry… I-I-I can't really—Ngh!—control it."

The Anbu helped the medic nin out and Anko scowled, pulling a hand through her hair.

"Damn. Well, let's hope the Hokage hurries it up." She gave me a look. "How long do ya think you can hold out?"

I closed my eyes tightly. "The poison's… making it harder… Maybe… five more hours."

She cursed under her breath and began pacing. "How the hell did this happen anyway?! Why wasn't I informed about this?!"

"I-I didn't even know." I muttered. "The seal… on my stomach… I don't remember."

"Are you serious? You can't tell me you didn't know you were his damn experiment either?!"

I cringed, feeling her anger smother me since my senses were in overdrive. "The Hokage was the only one… who knew."

She clicked her tongue and resumed her pacing until the Anbu returned.

"How long until the Hokage gets here? Shi said she can only hold up for another five hours _maybe_. We don't have time to just be sitting around!"

The Anbu glanced at each other nervously before one spoke up.

"Four more hours. Maybe more. They have to get through the forest undetected and it takes that long just to get here."

"Shit." Anko cursed as she flopped down in one of the chairs, exhausted.

"Anko." I pulled down my scarf, giving her a smile. "I'll be okay."

She gave me a look. "Of _course_ you'll be okay! Idiots don't die this easily."

I pulled my scarf back up, fighting another wave of chakra as I mentally smiled to myself. _Goes to show even someone as tough as Anko can worry about someone. Even if that was a bit brash._ I was worried too though. Five hours was the maximum limit that I calculated as for how long I could hold out. With things going the way they were, waiting any longer than that was going to be risking me losing control. Not to mention how long it was going to take just to seal this much power. _I have to though. It's the only way._

Five hours had come and gone, and we were going onto the sixth hour as I struggled to keep my chakra from lashing out. I had actually been moved into another room once the five hour mark had hit because my chakra was starting to spark around me and they couldn't risk me unleashing everything in that room. Even now, my chakra was trying it's hardest to form that grey chakra cloak around me but I kept pushing it back, eyes closed as I sat in a meditating position.

 _Just a little longer. That's all I need to do. Just hold on a bit longer then the Hokage will be here and will be able to seal it._ Already, I had risked pushing more power into my tattoo seal and it had crawled up the side of my face in dark black arcs. The poison was also a problem right now and I was struggling to even stay conscious as my vision swirled and my fever rose.

Finally, just as I was thinking I wouldn't be able to keep it up, the door opened and the Hokage stood in the doorway in complete and absolute shock. I could understand why too. The air was thick with my chakra and I was sure my appearance right now wasn't exactly pleasing either.

"Hurry." I gasped out, knowing that I couldn't hold it back much longer.

He nodded and stepped in along with someone surprising. Kakashi was with him and even he was giving me worried looks as he helped the Hokage set up the sealing circles. Minutes seemed like hours as they worked, before they were finally ready to start what I knew was going to be an agonizingly painful sealing.

"You ready?"

Kakashi asked, his voice hazy to me as the pressure of my own chakra pushed down on me. I glanced down at the intricate markings he had written in blood up my clothes and onto my stomach; my shirt having been tied up and out of the way. Another roll of chakra hit me and I curled up slightly, trying to keep my hands away from the markings in order to not smudge them and screw things up. I gave him a look, letting him know it was now or never and he nodded, looking over at the Hokage as he began the hand signs.

Almost as though it knew what was coming, the chakra surges became even more frequent; happening about every fifteen seconds. As the Hokage sped through sign after sign, I resisted every surge and once he finished, he slammed his palm into my stomach, igniting me with burning, agonizing pain. Not even I could keep the scream that ripped through my throat as he pulled away and a seal began taking form. It wasn't finished yet though and Kakashi was already going through his own hand signs as I wriggled in agony. He too pressed his palm against my stomach and the pain ignited once more as the blood markings traveled up my body and wrapped themselves around the first seal that the Hokage did.

Once it was over, I couldn't move. My body wasn't responding to me and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as Kakashi hurried next to me and began checking my vitals. He turned and said something to the Hokage, most likely, before looking back at me and pressing his fingers against my neck—my scarf having been removed ages ago for the sealing. I was afraid. For the first time in ages—not counting my encounter with Orochimaru—I was afraid. Afraid of death. Of dying. Forcing myself to move, I shakily reached up and grabbed Kakashi's sleeve.

"K-Ka—"

That was all I could get out as my vision blurred. Then, I realized, I was crying. I hadn't cried for years. Not since the first experiments I was put through. But this had me frightened. More frightened than back then because now, now I had people who cared for me. People _I_ cared about. _Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi… So many…_ As I looked up at Kakashi, he appeared to give me a small smile, brushing away the tears that had fallen from my face. He then looked away as people came in to take me to the hospital, getting up and leaving my side. I tried to call out again, but my voice was failing me and my hand limply reached out for him. He was my rock right now. The only one here I knew and I didn't want to lose that. I didn't want him to leave. _I_ didn't want to leave.

I was taken from the room anyway and as I was carried, I saw someone familiar walking beside me, his hands in his pockets. His mere presence comforted me and I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling that everything was going to work out, despite the pain and my vision turning darker by the second. Giving him a final glance, I mouthed out words to him before my vision went totally black.

" _God, I don't want to die."_


	5. Chapter 5

Saying Kakashi was worried would be a surprise to anyone around to hear it. However, it was true. He was a bit worried about Sasuke and how he would handle the curse mark, but he was more worried about Shi. From what Anko had reported to the Hokage, who then passed it on to him, Shi had something sleeping within her for a long time. Something no one expected because she had somehow managed to hide it from everyone without giving away even a hint that it was there. _Not only that, but she was one of his experiments. The way she acts, it should have been obvious, however, it seemed she's significantly better at hiding things than anyone expected. She's just lucky that the Hokage is willing to overlook this for now._

He sighed, relaxing in Shi's hospital room to get back some of his strength from using the Evil Sealing Method twice; once on her and once on Sasuke. He glanced over at her though and frowned under his mask. Her scarf had been removed and he had it folded up on his lap for the moment, as an oxygen mask rested over her mouth. Bandages were covering her neck where she had—according to Anko—been bitten by a snake while transformed into a beast.

Kakashi and the Hokage didn't know what to make of that when Anko first described it to them, but it wasn't as though she was lying. Judging by the amount of chakra in the room where Shi was being kept when they arrived to seal her though, it was obvious that Anko hadn't been kidding when she said that she couldn't move. _It was enormous. Rivaled the Hokage's chakra I would think. Maybe even jinchuriki level… But how would she have been able to hide that, let alone control it for so long? They said she'd only be able to last five hours but she'd ended up lasting seven. Not to mention how long she's been holding it back since she came here._

The Hokage had told Kakashi about her past as best he could once they had finished sealing away the powerful chakra. He couldn't say he wasn't surprised. From what he had been told, she was subjected to numerous experiments by Orochimaru and had high chakra reserves from the start. Not once though, did the Hokage think there was this much power residing in her. Even when Kakashi told him about the rampages she had when fighting Zabuza, something this enormous wasn't expected.

 _What's more, it's almost as though it's eating away at her. Not so much physically, but mentally. She's losing herself to this thing and without a proper seal, it won't be long before she's gone completely._ The seal the Hokage had done was only able to hold back some of the chakra and therefore, he had Kakashi do his seal over it to try and keep the first seal from breaking under the strain. _Anko also said that the tattoo on her arm was growing. I've noticed that as well and Shi had told me once before that it's a chakra seal. For it to go all the way down her arm and up her face though, she's been pushing herself to the breaking point._

Just then, he heard her groan and sighed in relief. She had been out for a while and the chunin exams were nearly over. There was just the final rounds and he had been getting worried seeing as Sasuke had already woken up and she hadn't. She wearily opened her eyes and turned to him.

"Good morning, Shi. I was worried you weren't going to wake up for a while there."

"I'm… sorry."

Kakashi raised a brow. "Hm?"

"I couldn't… stop him… Naruto… Sasuke…"

Kakashi smiled softly. _She really cares about those kids, doesn't she?_ "They're alright, Shi. Sasuke's curse mark has been sealed and Naruto's as hyper as ever."

She nodded and turned to look up at the ceiling. Silence fell over them for a moment before Kakashi grabbed the pitcher of water next to her and poured her a glass.

"Drink, Shi."

She sat up a bit with a wince, removing the breathing mask from her face with shaking hands, and allowing Kakashi to help her drink the water.

"Better?" He smiled and she nodded, face a bit sad. "Hey now. What's with that face, hm? You don't want Naruto to see you looking like that, do you?"

She looked over at him before turning her gaze back up at the ceiling as she leaned back onto the bed.

"I don't remember."

Kakashi was confused. "Remember what?"

She looked down at her stomach as she placed a hand there. "This. Or then."

"Then?"

"When I changed. I just remember him throwing Naruto and then… Nothing."

Kakashi nodded, understanding what she was talking about. _When she changed into the beast, most likely._ "Well, they're okay now and you did your best—"

"You don't understand."

Now he was confused. "What's there to understand? They—"

"I could've killed them."

Kakashi went silent for a moment as Shi bit her bottom lip.

"But you didn't."

Shi turned to him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "But I could've! I could've killed them and then where would I be?! They're all I have!"

For the first time, Kakashi saw just how broken Shi was as tears finally broke through her barriers. Shi looked down at her hands as the tears fell into her palm, looking confused. She frantically began wiping at her eyes, but the tears kept coming.

"W-What is this? I-I-It won't stop."

Kakashi looked at her shocked. "You've never cried before?"

She shook her head. "Only back then. I-It was so much pain and then… nothing. I-I—"

"You grew numb to it." Kakashi finished for her, and she nodded.

"I-I haven't felt a-anything until I came here."

Kakashi smiled and ruffled her short hair playfully. "That's a good thing, Shi. It means you're changing."

Shi frowned slightly, the tears finally slowing to a stop. "I don't like changing."

Kakashi chuckled. "Heheh. Well, it's a long and hard process."

Shi sighed and looked over to see her scarf in Kakashi's lap. Kakashi noticed this and handed the scarf over, laying it down in her lap and she nodded her thanks.

"What makes that scarf so important to you, if I may ask?"

She gave a small smile, surprising Kakashi. "It was a gift and the only thing Orochimaru let me keep unharmed."

"A gift? From your family?"

Shi shook her head. "No. Kami gave it to me."

Kakashi raised a brow, confused. "Uh, okay."

Shi looked up at him, suddenly. "I don't pass, do I?"

"Pass?"

"The chunin exams. They're over, right?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Not quite. You missed the second round and the preliminaries. The final round will be in about a month, but I don't exactly know about whether or not you passed. Only the Hokage can decide that."

Shi nodded. "Did Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura pass?"

"Hm. Naruto and Sasuke are in the final rounds, but Sakura lost to the Yamanaka girl in the preliminaries."

"What about the others?"

"You mean the other Konoha genin?"

Shi nodded.

"Well, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, and Neiji Hyuga are the only other ones fighting along with three sand ninja."

"I see…"

Shi felt someone coming and put her scarf on, making Kakashi raise a brow. Suddenly, the door burst open and none other than Might Guy stood in the doorway with a bouquet of flowers.

"My youthful student! I have been informed that you are awake and I have brought flowers to speed your recovery!"

Shi sweat dropped, but nodded, allowing Guy to place the flowers to the side until he noticed Kakashi.

"Ah! What is my sworn rival doing here?!"

Kakashi sweat dropped also, giving a small wave. "Just visiting."

Shi frowned then, unnoticed. "What's wrong?"

Guy and Kakashi turned to her. "Hm?"

She looked him over, before meeting his eyes. "You're forcing yourself to be happy and you smell like the hospital which only happens if you've been here a while… Where's Lee?"

Kakashi looked at Guy, who dropped his grin as a serious look came across his face.

"Lee is here. He fought one of the sand ninja who crushed his legs. It is unknown whether he will be able to continue being a ninja."

Shi suddenly began moving, shifting her legs to the side of the bed and alerting Kakashi and Guy, who tried to stop her.

"What are you doing? You just woke up!" Kakashi said.

"I need to see him." Shi said, forcing herself to stand shakily, using the bed post to hold herself up.

"My youthful student! I assure you Lee is in good hands!"

Shi started walking, but her legs gave out from under her and Kakashi caught her a she breathed heavily.

"Shi, please. You need rest. I'm sure Lee is fine."

"No!" Shi snapped, eyes turning grey for a brief moment before they went back to their usual blue and she groaned. "Please." She muttered. "Please let me go."

Kakashi looked up at Guy, before sighing. "Alright, but only for a bit and then back to bed."

Shi nodded and Guy brought over a wheelchair, before Kakashi wheeled her over to Lee's room. Lee was asleep, so she didn't disturb him. She just sat there and watched him for a while before turning to Kakashi.

"That's it?"

Shi nodded. "He's sleeping. I will visit him again when we are both well."

Kakashi smiled a bit as Guy cried quiet crocodile tears, before the two led her out and back towards her room, but there was a commotion over by the front desk.

"Where's Sasuke's room?!"

"Sasuke is not being allowed any visitors."

"What the hell?!"

"It's hard to explain but—"

"Then Shi! Let me see Shi!"

"But—"

Kakashi rolled Shi around the corner, after having bid Guy goodbye.

"Naruto, be quiet inside the hospital."

"Oh! Kakashi-sensei! Shi! Where've you been? I didn't see you after the first chunin exam."

Shi gave him a deadpan look. "I've been here."

Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hehe, that's right." He then remembered what he was going to say before and glanced at Kakashi. "Hey! Hey! I have a request!"

"No need to tell me, well, I already know what you're going to ask. I found someone who will look after your training."

"Why?! I want you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted and Shi gave Kakashi a confused look.

"Training?"

Kakashi nodded. "With the final round of the chunin exams in a month, the ones participating need to start training in order to beat their opponents. Anyway, Naruto, I've got some business to take care of, so I don't have time to look after you."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "I know you're planning to train Sasuke!"

"Now, now! Don't say that, because I've found a teacher for you who's much more reliable than me!"

"Who is it?"

"It's me!"

They turned to see a shinobi wearing dark sunglasses, who Naruto recognized.

"Oh! You're the closet pervert!"

Shi raised a brow. "Closet pervert?"

"Why the hell does my training teacher have to be him?! I mean, this guy is weaker than me in the first place! Because, because before this guy, with my harem no jutsu—"

The man, who Kakashi called Ebisu, grabbed Naruto in a choke hold, covering his mouth to silence him.

"Harem no jutsu?" Kakashi questioned.

"Oh, well, it's nothing, really. Haha." Ebisu nervously chuckled, before whispering to Naruto.

Shi ignored them and spotted some crutches over by the wall. Sneaking away from Kakashi who was busy talking to Naruto and Ebisu, Shi wheeled herself over to them and lifted herself out of the chair with only minor difficulty. Once she had them, she started walking up and down the area they were in, just as Kakashi finished with Naruto and Ebisu.

"Shi? What are you doing?"

Shi turned to look at him with a blank expression. "Walking."

Kakashi sighed. "You need to rest, Shi. You shouldn't be moving around anyway."

Shi frowned under her scarf. "I can't."

"Why not?" Kakashi challenged.

Shi looked away, staring out the hospital's front doors as Naruto and Ebisu walked off. "He's back." She turned back to Kakashi. "I can't sit and do nothing."

It was Kakashi's turn to frown and in an instant, he poofed behind Shi and knocked her out with a swift hit to the base of her neck.

"Sorry, Shi, but we'll need you later on. So it's best if you rest up now."

* * *

A week passed and they finally released me from the hospital. I had been fighting to get out of here since I had woken up from Kakashi knocking me out. _The jerk._ But as soon as I was out, I was sent to the Hokage's office to get scolded for acting on my own against Orochimaru. He had demanded a full explanation about what had happened and I told him what I could from what I remembered and he then gave me a lecture about what I could and couldn't do now that I had a seal.

He gave me another chakra repressor bracelet and demanded that, while I could still train, I was not to push the limits of the seals. I was also informed that Kakashi's seal was only as strong as my will power and that, should I ever feel doubt or the need to release this power, it will be let out. The Hokage said that he had people out searching for Jiraiya, but until then, those were the rules. I wasn't pleased, but I understood and since then, I had been training as best I could by myself since most of my teachers were off training others for the final round in the chunin exams.

I visited Lee as often as I could though, at least once a day, and I was pleased to see that his fighting spirit wasn't effected at all by his limited capability. I could see though, that he still felt doubt and uselessness, and I did my best to reassure him. The nurses didn't appreciate my bringing him ice cream however.

Today though. Today was the day of the final rounds of the chunin exams and I was following Guy and Lee to get there. I knew I'd probably miss most of the matches, but I didn't mind. I knew Naruto would be fine and Shikamaru would probably forfeit half way through, so there wasn't much to worry about.

"Thank you, Shi for coming with us." Lee said, a grin on his face.

I nodded as Guy shouted to the world. "My youthful students are getting along so well!"

I sighed quietly, just as we arrived at the gates to the stadium. Two jounin were guarding them, and smiled the moment they saw us.

"Oh! You are… We're glad you three are here. Now please, hurry into the arena."

Guy struck some stupid pose as Lee saluted. "Yes!"

"Ok! Let's go, Lee! Shi!"

"Osu." I muttered, lazily walking in without all the crazy that Guy was doing.

"The first round has been mostly completed. Only the Gaara vs. Sasuke match remains to be fought."

I paused, glancing back at Lee, who understood me somehow.

"The Naruto and Neji match was…"

"That was a very interesting match. It seems that the Hyuga actually lost."

I smiled a bit under my scarf and reached my hand out to Guy. He cried big crocodile tears and reluctantly reached into his jounin jacket and pulled out his wallet, handing me a good amount of cash. He'd lost a bet, after all. Once we had walked in and went to go find some seats, a whirlwind of leaves appeared in the middle of the arena. I sighed, knowing exactly who it was. _Showoff._

"It's Sasuke." Lee said, a smile on his face as we walked over to where Sakura, Ino, and Chouji were sitting.

"Lee! Shi!"

I looked down to see Kakashi talking with the coordinator and Sasuke talking with Naruto, as I began taking off my right shoe, ignoring the looks I was getting from Sakura and the screaming coming from Ino. The moment Kakashi started rubbing the back of his neck in what I could only assume was an apology, I chucked my shoe and it hit him on the back of his head. He turned towards me, as did Sakura—who was in shock—and I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. He didn't have to ask what I was angry about and I didn't have to say anything, before he was picking up my shoe and disappeared in a poof; reappearing in front of me.

"Heh, I see you're a bit angry about before."

I glared at him, my expression saying 'no shit' as he chuckled nervously. He handed my shoe over and I took it, putting it back on as he peaked around me and greeted Guy and Lee.

"Hey, Guy and Lee too. Your body is alright now?"

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said, looking upset.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. You must have been worried. Sorry for not contacting you at all."

After having put my shoe back on, I came over to Kakashi and just stood there next to him with a frown on my face. He turned to me, still chuckling nervously as my murderous intent rose.

"Hehe, really sorry, Shi. But you needed to rest."

I continued to say nothing, giving him the silent treatment. It was working.

"Uh… I'll, uh, make it up to you?"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye to let him know that I was going to hold him to that, but I was still pissed.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said, barely heard over the noise of the crowd. "On Sasuke's neck, there was a mark, right? Is that—"

"Don't worry." He gave her a reassuring smile, before looking around, spotting the several Anbu scattered about. "Eight Anbu for this huge arena. Only two small teams, what's the Hokage thinking?"

"No." Guy said. "Until we figure out the enemy's plans, they are probably needed on the outside gathering information."

I frowned, looking around as well, until Kakashi caught my attention.

"Are the seals holding up?"

I touched my stomach gently, nodding. I still wasn't going to talk to him. It may be childish, but I forgot all of my childhood, so… I'm still angry. Just then, the match started and I watched as Gaara talked to himself for a moment, the sand from his gourd rising up around him. Something was off though, and it had my stomach churning as the fight went on. _This murderous intent of his, its stirring up this beast. I best control it or we're going to have a problem on our hands._ Sasuke was fast though and was able to manage to get past Gaara's defenses and hit him from behind. The moment he did though, I frowned. _Did his face just crack?_ I was correct and Gaara's face seemed to be covered in a thin layer of sand.

 _It's the ultimate defense. You get past the first barrier and there's a second only for you to hit a thin third. It will be difficult to actually hurt him enough to win the match._ Sasuke had gotten faster though, since the last time I'd seen him battle. He was on par with Lee and managed to land two more solid hits to Gaara.

"What kind of training did you do? To come this far in just a month." Guy asked, and even I was curious.

"Sasuke had copied Lee's taijutsu with the sharingan before. That's why during his training, I had him use Lee's taijutsu. Because he knew Lee and had seen him in action before, he was able to master the style. It was a lot of work, of course."

I furrowed my brows slightly. _Is that really fair though? Using someone else's jutsu? If anything I would rather use my own skills to fight like this._ Just then Gaara started making a ball of sand and Sasuke punched it, but hit solid rock as spikes shot out and cut him. I expected something like this and silently questioned why he didn't just use an exploding tag. Just then, a shout came from behind us.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

I turned and looked to see Naruto and Shikamaru huffing and puffing at the top of the stairs.

"Hm? What's up?" Kakashi questioned.

"Sensei! Stop this fight right now! He's totally different from us! He's not normal!"

I felt my heart clench at those words as he went on.

"He lives to kill others! Anyway, at this rate, Sasuke will die!"

I swallowed thickly, stuffing my shaking fists into my pocket to hide them from the others, but I noticed Kakashi had seen them. Luckily, he said nothing about it and just spoke to Naruto.

"Well, don't worry. He and I weren't late for nothing."

I noticed the stance Sasuke was taking and frowned as Sakura questioned what Kakashi had said.

"What do you mean you weren't late for nothing?"

"Hm? You want to know?"

"Look," Naruto shouted. "We don't have time for this!"

"Be quiet and watch him." Kakashi ordered, silencing them. "You'll be surprised."

I turned to Kakashi with a stern glare, just as Guy figured it out too.

"No way… Is that…"

Kakashi grinned. "The reason I trained Sasuke is because he is the same type as me."

"I see. So that's why you only trained him in taijutsu and had him greatly raise his speed." Guy said.

"Yup."

I ignored their useless chatter then as I smelled something off. I turned to the side where the wind was coming and took a deep breath, brows furrowed in concentration. _No way… It can't be… If he's here, then that means—_ I quickly hurried off, heading towards the Hokage to warn him, knowing I couldn't just poof to his side without being possibly killed. Just as I was nearly there though, a menacing feeling crawled into my chest and I stopped, falling to my knees as I tried to control myself. One glance at the arena told me that Gaara was no ordinary genin, but I quickly went to focus back on what I was doing.

 _Nearly there!_ Just as I reached the edge of the Kage's box, I was stopped by a couple of Anbu and feathers started floating down from the sky. I sensed that it was a genjutsu and dispelled it. I went to go around the Anbu and even shouted to the Hokage as I had figured out that the Kazekage was a fake.

"It's the Kazekage! He's Orochimaru!"

The two Anbu went to attack me, but then the area was covered in smoke as three giant snakes were summoned. The Anbu, deciding that I wasn't worth it at the moment headed up to help the Hokage, but were stopped when Orochimaru held a kunai to the man's neck and jumped onto a roof with four others. I followed as did the Anbu, but a huge barrier was set up and we could go no further. I growled, feeling my chakra pressing against the seals as I started prowling back and forth outside the barrier. Once Orochimaru revealed himself, I swung a chakra-laden fist against the barrier, watching as it shook dangerously.

"Hey!" Someone from inside shouted. "Beef up the barrier! This guy might take it down!"

Even the Anbu were shocked as the four inside added a second and third layer onto the barrier, before protecting themselves from the Hokage inside with yet another.

"Orochimaru!" I shouted, eyes already changing grey as lightening sparked and fizzled; getting close, but not touching the Hokage's chakra repressor.

"Oh, so nice to see you again, mutt~"

I growled at him, before shifting to gaze at the Hokage, who calmly stared back.

"Shi. Go stop the snakes. Protect the village and don't worry about me or him. I'll take care of it."

He gave me a smug grin and I placed a hand onto the barrier, silently asking permission to remove the chakra repressor. He nodded.

"Only if you can control it, Shi. If so… let it loose."

I smirked, before jumping off towards the village where the three snakes were. I smelled a familiar scent and made my way over, landing next to none other than Ibiki. He took a few steps back as my chakra spiked suddenly and I smirked at him.

"I got this."

He gave me a shocked disbelieving look as the chakra repressor on my wrist burned itself into ashes, letting even more chakra out.

"How much chakra do you have?!"

I laughed manically. "Plenty more where that came from. Just get everyone out of here!"

He hurried off and I closed my eyes, focusing on the power that was struggling to take me over. I hadn't just been doing chakra exercises for a month, after all. My main focus was being able to control this raging beast inside me and I had only lost control a few times—thank Kami for the Hokage standing by.

I opened my eyes to a dark room where a rampaging beast howled and snarled. Doing a single hand sign, I focused my energy on wrapping chains around it and tethering it down enough that I could still harness its power without losing control or it escaping, but loose enough that once it noticed me, it could do as it pleased. Sure enough, it spotted me and attacked, swallowing me whole, but that was what I wanted and power coursed through me, burning through the seals on my stomach. The smoke began to rise up and once I was fully grown, I opened my eyes to stare down the three snakes.

" _ **I hate snakes."**_ I growled, before hurrying forward, grabbing one snake in my jaws as the others snapped out of the trance and began attacking me as best they could.

They swung their tails and thrashed, but I was proving difficult for them to handle. One had managed to get a good bite to my right shoulder, but their poison was no problem for me now. Being in the hospital for a week gave me the advantage of learning where they keep the poison antidotes, which I copied and used to build up my strength against their poison. I could handle it in average amounts, but should I get more than a few bites, I knew it would start effecting me more. Just as a snake went to sneak up behind me though, I heard a loud shout.

"Ninpou Summoning! Watchtower Demolisher Jutsu!"

A huge frog came out of nowhere, landing on top of the snake behind me and crushing it. There were only two snakes left, but I was curious as to who summoned this frog that was the same size as I was at the moment. The summoner wasn't talking to me at the moment though and was instead speaking to Ibiki.

"Long time no see, eh, Ibiki. Geeze, is your body the only thing that grew up?! I just can't stand to watch you!"

I growled at the man, gaining his attention. _**"Friend or foe?"**_

He tilted his head, before jumping up and holding his hand out. "Little chikadees! Open them small eyes of yours and take a really, really good look! Blessed be! It's the twilight zone flight of rampage! By Jiraiya, the Alien Sage Ninja!"

I gave him a bored look. _This is the Jiraiya that was supposed to seal this in me? What the hell were you thinking, Hokage?_

"All you snakes, frozen in your tracks by the glare of a frog!"

I huffed out a smoky breath, unamused as Ibiki showed up alongside him and he turned his sights to me.

"And who are you, beast?!"

" _ **Shi."**_ I muttered, turning back to the snakes.

"Oh, not much for talking, I see."

I scoffed and went after one of the snakes with a snarl. Jiraiya talked for a bit, before joining and attacking the other snake with his frog, talking to me the whole time.

"So! Shi! I can't tell in this form, are you a man or a scrumptious woman? Hm?"

My eye twitched and I threw a snake over in his direction, forcing him to duck as I glared. He just laughed.

"Ahaha! I see! A woman it is, and a fiery one at that… How long did it take you to control this beast then?"

" _ **A month."**_ I said bluntly and his eyes widened before narrowing.

"Is it completely under control?"

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. _**"I have ten minutes left."**_

He nodded, a serious expression on his face for a moment before a grin started to form. "Then I guess we better finish this up!"

I nodded and we both charged. Maybe five minutes later, we had the snakes defeated, but something else caught my attention off into the forest. Well, more like on top of the forest. Even from where I was, I could see another large frog facing off who I could only assume was Gaara. Or the beast that resided within him. Suddenly, it changed and an immense killing intent hit me coming from Gaara.

I could feel the murderous sensation riling up the beast I was controlling and I struggled to keep it back. Jiraiya noticed this and hurried over towards me.

"Hey, Shi! You better change back, kid! You chakra's fluctuating!"

" _ **I know! But Orochimaru—"**_

I suddenly spun around to face where the barrier was and rushed over, ignoring the calls behind me. _Something's wrong! I can feel it!_ Once I was there, I climbed on top of one of the walls as the barrier fell, snarling and gnashing my teeth.

" _ **You damn snake! I'll kill you!"**_

What I had felt earlier, I now knew was the fading life of the Hokage and I would die before I let Orochimaru get away unharmed. There were four with him, I noticed in a split second. Two carrying him and one took out a couple of Anbu, just as I grabbed a hold of one in my jaws.

"Gah! You trash! Let me go!"

Whoever I had caught, punched me hard in the side of the mouth, but I refused to let go until it put something else on me. A scrap of paper. Before I could realize what this paper was though, it had begun to spark and pain radiated from that point, causing me to howl in pain and release the—now injured—Sound ninja. As they got away, I continued to whimper in pain as I tried to use my paws and get the paper off. As I swung my head and put my nose between my paws to try and get it off, Jiraiya had caught up and Kakashi was now over by me as well, eyes wide in shock.

"Hey, kid! Let me see!"

Jiraiya tried to get close with his frog, but I lashed out, already having run out of time to control myself and was hanging on by only a thin thread of hope.

" _ **Don't come near me, frog!"**_

Jiraiya frowned and begun doing hand signs before shouting. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

The ground beneath my feet began to turn into thick mud and as I sank, I snarled and snapped at anything near me before Jiraiya jumped onto my muzzle and pulled the paper off, burning it in his hands before jumping back to his frog. Weakened significantly, I breathed heavily as I returned to myself. Jiraiya's frog grabbed me in its tongue and pulled me out of the muck, lying me down on solid ground before disappearing and Jiraiya came over, lifting the bottom of my shirt to see the seals.

He glanced over at me, seriously. "I need to get rid of these seals first. It'll be painful, do you understand?"

I nodded, still gasping for air, when he took my scarf off and wrapped it up, shoving it towards my mouth.

"Bite onto this for now."

I did so and tried not to cry out as he undid the first of two seals. He then did the second and I was hardly conscious at that point as my chakra tried to suffocate me. Even he seemed to be having a problem, but quickly slammed his hand into my stomach to seal it all back within me. Almost immediately, everything went black and I silently worried about what I was going to do when I woke up. After all, the Hokage was now dead and I was a monster.

* * *

It had been a few days since what happened at the chunin exams and the Hokage's funeral had already concluded. However, a number of people were not pleased. After Shi had the beast contained and after the funeral, the council decided that it was in their best interest to move her to a more secured facility and sealed away until the next Hokage was found and able to deal with her. Needless to say, Kakashi was not the only one displeased about this and even some of the other jounin tried to argue with the council to no avail. They had all seen her lose control and lash out at Jiraiya, a fellow Konoha ninja, and none could deny that—although she didn't mean them any harm—she was still a danger to those around her.

No one knew what kind of conditions Shi was in nor whether she had even awoken from her sealing before they removed her from the hospital and certain people—such as a small excitable blonde—were beginning to get restless without knowing her whereabouts. Kakashi though, had other things to worry about and when he met with Jiraiya, his worries only seemed to increase.

" _Kakashi, I am going to be keeping Naruto in custody."_

 _Kakashi looked at him, surprised as he went on._

" _It was the role of the third generation to watch over Naruto. It was a decision that the Hokage made you watch over him. I guess someone is trying to get you involved as well."_

" _What is it you want to tell me?" Kakashi asked._

" _I have been following Orochimaru's movements since he left the village. That person will return to the village someday. Since it's already clear… that it's the beginning of something. At first, it was just about Orochimaru."_

" _What about him? Does it have something to do with Shi?"_

 _Jiraiya shook his head. "Not from what I can see. At least… not yet. Although, I suppose I should've known she was one of his. The signs pointed to it."_

 _Kakashi frowned, waiting for him to finish._

" _But that guy joined a certain organization." Jiraiya said._

" _An organization? And the details of this organization?"_

 _Jiraiya put a hand to his chin. "Although we do not know the full details… from what we know, it's called 'Akatsuki'. A small organization that consists of nine shinobi. Up until recently, there has been little activity and only some espionage was done. There haven't been any major problems so far. Most of those people have appeared on the bingo book. A single S-class criminal is already hard to deal with and Itachi is among them."_

 _Kakashi's gaze sharpened._

" _The nine have also gathered, all of them volunteers. The Akatsuki must be up to something. You'll probably understand this soon. Recently, an important member, Orochimaru escaped from the organization. The members move in teams of two at all times, assembling jutsus and what not along the way…"_

" _And that person is the 'nine-tails' isn't it? Are you sure of this?"_

" _It's very likely. Its chakra is one of the strongest. After all, it's one of the tailed-beasts. Kakashi, Naruto's destiny is to live always watching his back. It is the fate he was given. I want you to look out for Sasuke. It will be important for him to learn how to use the sharingan. Because Itachi is also in that organization. I will take Naruto to the shinobi training center and take care of him."_

 _Kakashi reluctantly gave in and nodded. "Alright."_

 _Jiraiya then scratched his chin. "I should probably take Shi in as well."_

 _That made Kakashi snap his head up in shock. "What? Why?"_

 _Jiraiya tilted his head to the side, as though Kakashi should have already known the answer. "If the Akatsuki are after the nine-tails for its chakra, then I wouldn't be surprised if they were after her as well. Especially if she has connections to Orochimaru."_

" _How are you going to take her with you? The council has had her locked up after what happened during the chunin exams."_

 _Jiraiya smiled, giving Kakashi a thumbs up. "The council owes me. I can get her out in no time."_

 _Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "What are you going to do with her? She has all four chakra natures and I've been training her for the most part along with Guy. She has already reached jounin strength at this point."_

 _Jiraiya grew serious once more, sighing. "Unfortunately, because I sealed that thing inside her completely, she'll probably have to learn other jutsus to get used to her chakra flow."_

 _Kakashi chuckled lightly at that, causing Jiraiya to give him a confused look. "No need to worry about that. She's been able to get used to limits on her chakra a good number of times. The Hokage forced her to wear a chakra suppressor just before the chunin exams and she was training around that by herself half the time, without me helping. Not to mention training with the seals we both put on her. Only lost control twice from what the Hokage told me. I wouldn't be surprised if she was somehow practicing with her chakra right now despite whatever situation she's in."_

 _Jiraiya chuckled as well, getting his point. "Then is should be fun. Between her and Naruto, teaching them should be entertaining."_

Kakashi sighed just remembering Jiraiya's zealous attitude to taking care of two very difficult students. _With Shi's silence and blunt nature and Naruto's excited idiotic nature… he's going to have his hands full._ He chuckled quietly to himself. _I actually should be feeling worse for Shi. She's going to be the one having to deal with them and keep them in line._ Kakashi glanced behind him for a moment, and silently hoped Shi was doing okay, when he suddenly felt a burst of chakra not far from him. Immediately, sensing something was wrong with a battle going on just within Konoha's borders, he hurried off and headed towards the area, surprised to find Itachi and Kisame fighting Kurenai and Asuma. Quickly, before they could sense his presence, Kakashi cloned himself and pulled up his headband, copying Kisame's attack just in time to stop it.

"Oh, it's just you." Asuma said in his usual laid back tone. "You just got here huh."

"No… I got here just a bit ago." Kakashi replied, not amused by Asuma's response to his arrival. "Well, let's put an end to this."

* * *

I sighed quietly, frustrated beyond measure. When I had first woken up in this cell, I had panicked, believing to have been captured by Orochimaru once more, but upon seeing some Konoha ninja pass by on occasion, I calmed down and focused on trying to understand why I was in here. It was then I remembered that the third Hokage had died at the hands of Orochimaru, and I spent what I believed to be a few days after that in mourning. As the days went on though, I realized that it was possible that no one knew I was in here and that I was most likely placed in here due to the orders of the council and the fact that I was deemed too dangerous to be allowed outside for the time being. _That, and the fact that there's no one who can lead the people right now has probably put them in a pinch._ Thanks to this rather depressing line of thoughts, I spent a majority of my time in this cell discovering the strengths and weaknesses of my imprisonment.

Thing was, there were virtually no weaknesses other than me keeping my ability to store excess chakra in my tattoo seal. Problem was, that seal was filled to the brim with excess chakra anyway due to my previous sealing. Well that, and the fact that I had hardly been fed since I was put in here, being given mostly water. Upon inquiring about food, I was ignored, so I decided to waste my energy doing other things. Namely research on seals. The only seals I could look at though, were the ones around the outside of the cell, and the one Jiraiya had just placed on my stomach. They were convenient though, in the way that they were of similar design and had similar function, so I was actually getting somewhere with them and recorded my proceedings by focusing chakra into my finger and burning what I knew on the walls of my cell.

I don't know how long had passed or how long I went without sleep—due to both nightmares and a lack of knowing how much time has passed—but I found it odd when things seemed to change suddenly. The hall became noisy and the creaking of the door up the hall had me slightly curious as it was only opened upon the switching of guards and it wasn't scheduled to open for a while. (It was the only thing I could use to measure time in this place, but it was often changed as to when it happened so it wasn't very accurate.) Ignoring the clamor for now, I returned to overlooking my work from before my brief nap but was interrupted by the surprised murmur from behind me as well as the clattering of keys.

"Whoa. Kakashi wasn't kidding when he said you'd be doing something down here."

I turned, eyes tired and half-lidded, not really wanting to deal with the eccentric sealer Jiraiya right now. _But I should probably thank him for sealing this thing…_

"While I appreciate you helping me before, Jiraiya…" I cleared my throat, me not being used to using my voice after staying silent for so long down here. "What is it you are doing down here? I'm busy."

"I am glad you asked!" He said, rather loudly, making me wince. "I am here to spring you from your prison, my lovely flower!"

I gave him a dull look, before turning to the guard at his side who sighed as he opened the cell door.

"He's right, believe it or not."

I sighed and looked at the walls of information with slight sorrow.

The guard looked at it and sighed. "I'll get someone to copy it and have it sent to your apartment."

I nodded and stood, cringing as my limbs ached from sitting so long and my vision blurred slightly. As I walked out of the cell, I was slightly surprised the guard didn't hand me back my weapons and other things, and frowned before being forced to stroll past Jiraiya, who had his arms open as though he wanted some form of affection or something. I just ducked under the arms and walked on, ignoring his whining follow me down the hall.

"There's no particular order." I told the guard, tuning out Jiraiya for the moment. "And… you could have sent food every once in a while."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, I was on strict orders to just give you water and give you minimum amounts of food. The council believed that keeping you malnourished would prevent you from attempting escape."

I scoffed, exiting the building with a few mocking words sent over my shoulder to him. "I could have escaped days ago, idiots."

Once the door closed and the final door opened, I was forced to close my eyes against the brightness that was the sun. I kept them closed and groaned, placing a hand to my head as a headache began to form. Even the minimal amount of light shining through my eyelids hurt and I shrunk back a bit, when Jiraiya spoke.

"I'm sorry, Shi."

He placed something over my eyes and I frowned at the sudden change of treatment as he bound my hands behind me and blindfolded me. _Figures… I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up._ I felt a tugging sensation, familiar with—as Naruto says—poofing somewhere and I was pushed down into a chair by Jiraiya. Wherever I was, I could smell a few people and the scent of paper and ink, but I wasn't too surprised by what was going on.

"Shi, the council has decided that you may or may not be a threat to Konoha the way you are now."

I stayed silent, not moving other than the slow rise and fall of my chest.

"A number of shinobi have expressed their trust in you nonetheless, and after reviewing information that the Hokage himself has left behind about you, we believe that you could now be released from your imprisonment."

I lifted my head in surprise, but showed none of it on my face. I had once again built a wall between myself and others during my time in prison and, while I was on decent terms with the guard and Jiraiya, it would be a while more before I could express myself as much as I had before.

"However, there are certain points we are in need of discussing. You, Shi, are a human who was experimented on by none other than Orochimaru, are you not?"

I nodded.

"The Hokage left us a great deal of information about what power you have, but our main concern is the safety of our village and the people within it. Thus, you will undergo extensive training that Jiraiya has offered to be the master of in order to control this… beast that you are now holding. In return, you are to become a full-fledged ninja of Konoha and should you ever show any doubt in your loyalty, you will be executed."

I nodded once more, understanding what the council was demanding, when a new voice spoke up.

"Shi, was it?"

I glanced towards the new voice and inhaled quietly. _Sake, lots of it, and the stench of money with a hint of… pork?_ Ignoring the odd scent, I listened as the woman spoke.

"I'll have you know that as the replacement Hokage, I will be sure that these conditions are followed and to make things go smoother, you will now be ranked at a chunin level and will be expected to follow those rules as well."

I felt my lip twitch upwards, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Yes, Hokage." I muttered, voice hoarse.

"Your things are being returned to your household presently." The representative from the council said. "Jiraiya."

Jiraiya's hand was placed on my shoulder and I stood, before being poofed somewhere else and unbound. Once that was done, I cringed at the light and Jiraiya chuckled, handing me a set of dark sunglasses, which I gratefully put on.

"Good job, Shi." He said, giving me a thumbs up. "It's not every day one gets out of prison and gets a promotion."

I stared back at him, blank faced and turned away, walking into the crowded Konoha streets.

"Oi! Hey! What's with the cold shoulder?" He shouted, chasing after me.

"I want my scarf back and I don't need you knowing where I live."

He tripped, landing flat on his face, but then bounced back up, standing before me. "N-Now, Shi. I _should_ know where you live, or else how am I supposed to get in contact with you about training?"

I walked around him, trying to stay as inconspicuous as I could with a white haired pervert following me around through the market streets. I continued to ignore him before finally just 'poofing' off, ending up just outside of my apartment; the opposite direction I had been leading Jiraiya. Once I landed though, I felt significantly more drained than I expected and stumbled through the door. _Looks like that seal works extra well. That, and my chakra reserves are nearly depleted, plus the lack of nutrition…_ I soon found my scarf and ditched Jiraiya's sunglasses for a black blindfold; the same one I had used time and time again for training my senses. Once I had those on, I decided against using chakra for now, and started to leave when I remembered noticing a green flak jacket hung over one of my chairs. I didn't really want to wear it, but I knew I had to and put it on over my black shirt, adjusting my scarf to cover the collar. It was then that I left and began my walk to find somewhere to eat. _And maybe I'll visit Lee tomorrow, since it's already getting late._ I soon found myself sitting at Ichiraku's Ramen, downing bowl after bowl of noodles and broth.

"Whoa! Slow down there! You're acting like you're half starved!" The man chuckled, setting down another extra-large bowl before me.

I slurped up the noodles under my scarf quickly, but nearly choked when someone shouted and tackled me around the waist; forcing me to grab my bowl and hold it above my head to protect it from my attacker.

"Shi! I missed you so much! I've been stuck traveling with this really weird guy looking for some old hag who's the next Hokage and fighting bad guys and you missed it, Shi! It was so cool and—Hey! What's with the blindfold? And is that a chunin vest?! Shi!"

I leaned back from Naruto's prying hand, one arm holding me up on a nearby stool as the other held the ramen bowl.

"Naruto. I've been… promoted. I'm a chunin and leave my blindfold alone. It's for… training." _I can't just tell him I've been locked up for two months, though the Hokage didn't say it was classified._

"Whoa, cool! But it's not nearly as awesome as this technique that pervy sennin taught me while we were traveling." He said smugly, and I sat up, deeming my ramen safe and also curious as to what he meant earlier in his ramblings.

"Naruto."

"Yup?"

"How long have I… not been around."

"Hm…" Naruto hummed. "I think it's been about two months, Shi. Wait, how do _you_ not know?"

I ignored his spark of intelligence and instead focused on my thoughts for a moment. _Two months? Thinking three days for the Hokage's funeral, and maybe a month to find a replacement Hokage, but… how much has happened that I've actually missed?_ I turned my head to Naruto, almost hating what I was about to do.

"Naruto, could you tell me what happened while I was gone?"

"Sure! Well, first, you see we…."

Naruto went on and on about his adventures and how Sasuke collapsed trying to defeat a member of—what sounded like—a terrorist organization; Kakashi also being hospitalized due to the same man who may, or may not, have some sort of eye abilities; Naruto and Jiraiya going out to find the next Hokage who was a medic and one of the three legendary sennin; and their battle against Orochimaru. The last part had me greatly frustrated, wishing that if the village council had moved faster in my release, I could have assisted in helping defeat Orochimaru or possibly even kill him and his bespectacled companion. _Hell, I could have been there and stopped Kakashi from being hurt._ I grit my teeth, but forced myself to relax, cutting Naruto off mid rant about his newest jutsu.

"Naruto, now that the new Hokage is here, is everyone…" I trailed off, knowing that he was understand what I was asking him.

"Uh-huh! Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke woke up yesterday! But, uh, I don't know about Lee. They wouldn't let me see him."

I nodded, paid for my meal, and stood.

"O-Oi! Where are you going, Shi?"

I gave him a glance over my shoulder, hidden by the blindfold, but said nothing before hurrying off. The trek to Kakashi's house took far longer than I had planned, after getting lost a few times, and while I had had a good first meal upon exiting prison, I could already feel it bubbling to the surface. _Two months… I'm not only out of shape, but definitely malnourished and I over ate just now… not good…_ Gagging, I ducked into an alleyway and reintroduced myself to my last meal, feeling even worse than before. I needed to check on Kakashi though. I had no idea why, but he was my top priority, my mind and body were telling me so, and I wasn't one to ignore my gut instinct.

I picked myself up and hurried on, this time, trying to pay a bit more attention to my surroundings; blindfold in my pocket now that the light was dimmer. _Alright, tea shop on the left… approaching a vegetable stand… and now a bar… should be right around the corner…_ I landed in a heap on Kakashi's porch, legs weak and breathing hard, even having to pull down my scarf just to be able to feel like I was actually getting air in my lungs. I forced myself to stand and pounded a fist on the door, leaning heavily against the door frame and listening as best I could over my own pounding heart that seemed out of control. I heard soft footsteps heading towards the door and struggled to keep from passing out, already feeling the familiar darkness creeping in my mind. Finally, the door opened and Kakashi stood there looking surprised.

"Shi?"

"K-Kakashi…" Was all I managed to get out, before feeling my body slowly shut down and I fell forward into inky blackness.


	6. Chapter 6

Kakashi had been resting in bed when he heard someone pounding on his door. He was under doctors' orders to rest for a day or so, but he got up and went downstairs to see who it was. _It's probably Guy again, trying to get me to do more ridiculous training with him to build back up my strength._ Kakashi rolled his eyes at the thought and opened the door, surprised to find, not Guy, but Shi; who he hadn't known was released yet.

"Shi?" _She doesn't look too good._

"K-Kakashi…"

Shi suddenly collapsed and Kakashi quickly caught her, keeping her from hitting the ground, but very confused and concerned, not knowing what was going on.

"Shi! Hey! Can you hear me?"

He tried to wake her up, but there was no response and he went into shinobi mode, doing his best to try and figure out what was wrong. _Her chakra really is low._ He touched her face and frowned, feeling just how warm to the touch she was. _A fever too. Just what is she doing here?_ He picked her up, expecting some difficulty since he's been out of commission, but was shocked at how little she weighed. He brought her upstairs and laid her down in the spare guest room he had, going ahead and removing the flak jacket and scarf she was wearing. _A new flak jacket? She's been promoted then, but that doesn't explain why she's here or where she's been for the past couple months. Wherever the council has had her, they obviously haven't been treating her well._

Kakashi frowned, reaching out and searching for any weapons that Shi would normally have on her, but found nothing. _She's normally laced to the teeth with weapons, but she doesn't even have her sword. Just what is going on?_ He took notice of her form then, concern lacing his features at just how gaunt she was and the way he could see her clothes hanging off her instead of the way they used to hug her curves and muscles. _She's far too thin. She's always been fairly attractive though, as much as she goes about trying to hide it. She's not someone I'd normally go for either, but I can't say I don't have some feelings for her... I need to focus._ He then went and got a small towel from the bathroom, wetting it and ringing it out, returning and placing it on her forehead. _I should probably get some medicine for her while she's still asleep since I doubt she'll appreciate it if I take her to the hospital._ Kakashi smiled a bit at remembering what happened last time she was at a hospital and headed out to stop by the hospital pharmacy for some medicine.

When he returned, he went upstairs and was surprised to find her not in the bed.

"Shi?" He called out, senses searching the room for any sign of her.

He went quiet and heard the very soft shuffling sound coming from the closet. Unsure what Shi could be doing in there, he slowly and cautiously approached, opening the door and finding her curled up in a ball on the ground, hands covering her ears with her eyes clenched shut. He reached out towards her carefully.

"Shi?"

She flinched, curling up tighter and mouthing the words 'too loud'. Understanding what she was trying to say, Kakashi tried to find a way to help. _Something must be wrong. This happened before, in the Land of Waves. I believe she mentioned everything being too loud and something about her senses._ Kakashi went into his room and managed to find some earplugs after searching a while, returning and holding them out to Shi, watching as she hesitantly opened her eyes and stared at his hand. Kakashi gave her a small smile and she reluctantly took them, putting them in her ears and letting out a small sigh.

"T-Thank you." She said quietly, but not leaving the closet.

Kakashi nodded and held up the bag with the medicine, grinning and encouraging her to come out and return to the bed.

"So what are you doing here, Shi?" He asked, knowing that she could probably still hear him despite the earplugs.

She took the medicine, swallowing it along with the cup of water Kakashi handed her, and stared down at the cup silently for a while. _Her guard's back up._ Kakashi thought. _She's retreated back inside herself again. It's to be expected, considering the circumstances, but it… bothers me a bit… I miss her smile already._ Kakashi shook the thought from his head and instead went about pulling out the miso soup he'd bought from a restaurant on his way back.

"It should still be warm." He said, dropping the previous question since Shi apparently didn't wish to speak about it, and handing her the bowl of soup.

She took it, holding it in her hands, but not eating it. Kakashi was concerned and thought that perhaps it was because he was there watching, so he got up to leave, but Shi spoke just as he did so.

"N-Naruto said that you were… hurt."

Kakashi turned, smiling a bit. "Well, I'm alright now. You're the one who seems to be worse off in this case."

Shi nodded, head bowed and she drank some of the soup, bringing the bowl to her lips carefully. _Her voice was pretty raw. I wonder how long it's been since she spoke… or if she's been—_ Kakashi pushed the thought from his mind and went downstairs, putting away a few extra groceries he'd picked up. After a moment though, he felt Shi's presence behind him, as weak as it was, and turned to see her holding her bowl; scarf back around her face.

"Thank you." She muttered again as he took the bowl from her. "I apologize for bothering you."

She made to leave, but Kakashi could see how much she was struggling and stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

"Now, now, Shi. You and I both know you're not exactly in the best shape."

"I can make it home." She said, though Kakashi could feel her arm shaking from exertion in his hand.

"You'll make it there, but what should happen if you collapse again? Hm?" Kakashi smiled as she looked back at him and she seemed to give in.

"What would you suggest…?" She said, dropping her head and rubbing her temples with her free hand.

"Stay here."

Shi lifted her head with a frown, hardly noticeable under her scarf. "With you…?"

Kakashi continued to grin innocently, visible eye closed in a u-shape, and Shi reluctantly sighed.

"Very well."

"Good! Now head on back to bed. You'll need your rest. I'll wake you up tomorrow morning for breakfast."

Shi grumbled quietly, but headed back upstairs, leaving Kakashi to chuckle to himself. _She can be so cute sometimes. It's a shame we're both ninja. Relationships don't work out very well. That… and I doubt she'd fall for my advances._ Kakashi went ahead and headed upstairs to his own room, preparing to sleep as well, removing his forehead protector and other extra clothing; leaving him in a pair of boxer shorts and his usual sleeveless shirt-mask combo. He climbed into bed and let out a slow sigh, a small grin still on his face. _Doesn't mean it won't hurt to try though. Who knows, maybe I can get it to work out._

* * *

The next morning, I awoke feeling much better. My fever had gone down quite a bit and my senses were back to their usual level, and waking up to the smell of food wasn't too bad either. Kakashi hadn't yet come to get me for breakfast, so I headed into the bathroom to shower. It felt great to get off the grimy clothes I had been wearing and wash off all the dirt and sweat I had accumulated over the past two months in solitary confinement. What's more, I actually felt very at home here. _I wouldn't have expected Kakashi's house to be so… comfortable. It's the first time I've felt so at home since I've been in Konoha._

I sighed quietly, getting out of the shower only to stare down at myself with a miniscule frown. I had lost a lot of weight. Enough so, that my hips and ribs were showing rather boldly on my gaunt body. I was most certainly underweight now, and could tell just by looking that my muscle mass had gone down slightly as well, despite my previous attempts to keep in shape while in the cell. My hair was longer now as well, reaching just past the bottom of my ears and brushing the back of my neck. I pinched some auburn hair between my two fingers and let out another sigh, before staring at the pile of clothes on the ground, practically radiating a stinky smell. _Do I really have to put those back on?_

"Shi?" A voice said, following a couple of knocks on the door. "If you want, you could borrow some of my clothes. I doubt yours are going to be pleasant to wear…"

I nodded, realizing that he couldn't see me and replied quietly. "Okay."

"I'll leave them by the door."

I heard him leave and hesitantly opened the door and pulled the clothes inside. It was just a simple pair of boxer shorts, some pants that cut off just below the knee, and one of his sleeveless mask-shirts. I put them on and frowned as the edge of his pants reached my heel, but the shirt fit fairly well. It wasn't as tight as it was on Kakashi, but the mask still hid my face and it wasn't hanging as loosely as his pants were. Once finished, I gathered up my dirty clothes and headed downstairs to find Kakashi smirking at me.

"Well don't you look cute." He said, chuckling.

I flushed red, looking down at the pants as they dragged on the floor, before looking back up with a small glare.

"Shut it." I grumbled, walking over to the table and sitting down.

Kakashi placed some food in front of me and I heartily dug in, mentally questioning how Kakashi knew how to cook. _Because I can't cook very well at all. I can only do the basic things like udon and rabbit…_ Kakashi seemed to have read my mind.

"I learned how to cook when I was younger. It comes in handy when you live alone and have a low budget."

I nodded, holding my plate out for seconds which had Kakashi chuckling.

"It's good to know you still have your appetite."

I caught the hint he threw out and went quiet once more. _He knows… I guess it's pretty obvious, but… am I allowed to even talk about it? And more importantly, do I even_ want _to talk about it…_ Kakashi returned with my food, but instead of plowing through it like I had the first time, I sat there and stared at it for a while.

"Hey."

I looked up to see Kakashi's worried face.

"You okay?"

I slowly nodded and brought some food up to my mouth, only to stop and set it down.

"I… was in an underground cell." I said, feeling his eyes on me. "I only got water on occasion and food… was even scarcer."

He continued to stay silent as I went on.

"I was… I thought Orochimaru had me at first… Then I remembered the Hokage and…" I swallowed thickly and looked up at Kakashi, feeling tears pricking the corner of my eyes. "I couldn't save him, Kakashi. I-I was right there a-a-and…"

I clenched my eyes shut as the tears finally fell, the guilt of letting the Hokage die in front of me when I could have done something had been eating away at me for two months. And for some reason, I wanted to tell Kakashi. I wanted him to know because… perhaps he could understand. There was always that chance that he would hate me, but this pressure in my chest told me he wouldn't. That Kakashi could never hate me. And I took comfort in that, even more so, when he came over and just held me. He let me cry on him and murmured softly to me, telling me it was okay. That it wasn't my fault and I did everything I could.

And as he did this, I held him tightly, hugging him like a lifeline and I suddenly realized that he _was_ my lifeline. He was one of the three people I trusted enough to show my weaknesses around; Naruto and the third Hokage being the only others, but one was dead and even with Naruto I hadn't done anything like crying in front of him. Kakashi was someone I genuinely cared for and in this moment, I vowed that I wouldn't let anything happen to him like what had happened with the Hokage. And maybe, just maybe, I would open myself up a bit more to him.

* * *

That afternoon, Kakashi left on a mission and I headed out as well. I would admit, it was nice being with Kakashi, but I also had other things to do, and one of those was checking up on Lee. Assuming that he would be at one or two places, I started walking to the hospital. That's right. I said walking. I knew I would get lost, but I needed the exercise after two months of static and walking to one place would do me some good. And it was about four hours later that I had realized once more how useless I was with directions.

 _Great. Just great._ I sighed and brought my hand to my mouth, letting out a high pitched whistle to call a friend of mine. Not a few seconds later, a rather large owl landed on my shoulder and I scratched his head before asking him to find the Lee and lead me to him. _I already wasted four hours trying to find the hospital. I don't need to waste more time being lost should he not be there._ The owl flew off and returned a little while later, leading me to my second choice of location, which had me worried. I sent the owl off, promising a mouse for his troubles later, and hid my presence as I hopped up onto the roof of the building and laid down, staying quiet and listening to Lee and Guy as they talked.

 _So Lee has to get some surgery done. 50/50 chance of success with the other 50 being death… I'm worried for him, but perhaps Guy will help him make the right choice._ I stared up as stars began to show up in the night sky, allowing their discussion to drift over to me.

"But just this once… it doesn't look like I'll get anywhere even if I try, even if I believe in myself! Guy-sensei… Please tell me!" Lee cried. "Why does something like this only happen to me? What should I do? Tell me!"

Lee sobbed and I felt my chest clench as I remembered everything Lee had gone through after what happened at the chunin exams. _He was so strong. He kept trying and struggling to do push-ups and other exercises that he should even be trying to do in his condition. He helped push me forward with his determination and now… he's so broken. He's lost hope and may just lose the one thing that means the most to him… Being a ninja…_

"For the one who never stopped working hard, the surgery will most definitely succeed!" Guy shouted, me having missed a good chunk of their conversation while worrying. "It will call forth a heavenly future. If by one in a million chance the surgery fails, then I shall die with you! Ever since I met you, my ninja way became to raise you into a great ninja. That's a promise!"

I smirked to myself as Lee wailed, most certainly having hugged Guy, and I went to get up and leave, when Guy called out from below.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop, my youthful friend. Though I'm sure Lee and I can over-look it this time."

I smiled under my scarf, rolling my eyes, before adopting my usual blank look and hopping down behind the surprised Lee.

"S-Shi?"

I pulled a hand out of my pocket and waved. "Yo."

Guy, though, immediately wailed. "No! My youthful companion! You've become tainted by my arch rival's laid-back attitude!"

I raised a brow, before finally understanding what he had said. _Oh, he's saying I'm acting like Kakashi…_ I ignored him and went over to Lee, putting a hand on his head and messing up his hair as he stared up at me with teary eyes.

"You'll be fine." I told him, reaching up and pulling down my scarf so he could see the small smile I gave him. "You are strong."

Lee's eyes widened and I pulled my scarf back up just before he tackled me with a hug, tears soaking my new flak jacket.

"S-Shi! You're so kind! I-I will do my best! And I most certainly will not give up!"

I was unsure how to comfort him, but upon remembering what Kakashi had done, I did the same and patted his head hesitantly, telling him it will be okay though my face was a bit red in embarrassment about remembering this morning. Guy though, was immune to my obvious discomfort and pulled the two of us into his own hug shouting about our youthfulness.

"You two are the most youthful students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching! Now." he pulled away and gave us a thumbs up. "What do you say we treat ourselves to a good meal?"

Lee's eyes lit up and I shrugged, willing to go, but once we started walking, Guy spoke to me, out of Lee's earshot.

"I'm glad they finally released you, Shi."

I nodded. _Me too._

"Are you alright though? You are not quite as… youthful as you should be."

I understood what he was saying, but continued to stare forward at Lee. "I am… working on it. Food was not something plentiful."

He nodded in understanding and we soon joined Lee at his favorite place to sit down and eat. The whole night, we enjoyed ourselves; Lee and Guy making it a game to try and get me to laugh by doing ridiculous things with their chopsticks and food, none of which got more than a chuckle from me. Once we had all finished and went our separate ways, I let out a sigh and scratched the back of my head before heading to the Hokage's office. I had a bad feeling nagging me in the back of my mind and, as much as I would like to ignore it, I knew there was something I needed to do. _Perhaps she can help me… This… new Hokage._

* * *

The rest of that night and the next day, I had spent under the tutelage of one of Konoha's medic ninjas, learning as quickly as I could some easy healing techniques that could help postpone the death of anyone I come across. I figured it would be something handy to have and learned fairly quickly, though the first few times I tried it, I didn't do well. Once the woman had deemed me 'passable' I was summoned to the Hokage's office via a small bird.

The first time I had met her face to face, I could say I wasn't too surprised. The sake smell seemed understandable as did the pork smell, coming from her assistant's pig. The only thing that seemed odd was the woman's physical appearance. _She's supposed to be Jiraiya's age?_ Was the first thing I thought, until I noticed a small purple gem on her forehead. I had immediately connected the dots, realizing that this was one of the seals I had encountered in my reading that the woman before me had invented. It preserved her youth though and healed her at a quick pace, from what I understood, whereas my tattoo seal was nothing more than an extra chakra container. She had proven to me quickly though, that she was not to be underestimated and her harsh attitude had me quickly respecting her as I should.

Today though, I was a bit more laid back, realizing that as harsh as she was, she was also very relaxed. That is, when she didn't have a huge pile of paperwork on her desk to go through. _I guess it's a good thing I brought her this._ I thought, pulling out the brand of sake I had smelled on her and placing it on her desk, earning a suspicious look.

"You better not be bribing me, Shi."

I just blinked back at her silently and tucked my hands into my pockets calmly.

"No. I like sake too."

"Hm." She hummed, putting the sake out of sight and grabbing a piece of paperwork, flipping through its pages with a long sigh. "You're not going to be pleased to hear this, but I need you to do something for me."

"A mission?"

She nodded, setting the paperwork down and pulling a hand through her hair. "Seems Sasuke has tried to leave the village and I am sending a rookie squad to retrieve him."

I swallowed, eyes narrowing seriously. "I am to assist?"

She nodded. "But not in how you think. From what I know, he's gone to join Orochimaru and has been taken by at least four of his possible experiments. As much as you believe you are capable of taking them out, Shi." She narrowed her eyes at me, obviously seeing how my hands had fisted tightly at the sound of Orochimaru's name. "I'm going to need you to get them some back up."

I nodded, not liking what I had to do, but understanding. I was still very weak from my stay in prison and I doubted I could handle all four enemies, let alone if they were in different areas.

"Who am I getting?"

She perched her chin on her hands. "Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari from Sunagakure."

 _They're the ones who…_

"Very well."I replied, knowing better than to question their integrity to the village when my very own was also in question.

"I'd send someone with you, however the jounin are all out on missions, so you're my last option. It's a speed mission, so time is of the essence. The three of them should be able enough to help the rookies, so you are to bring them all to where they are fighting. It doesn't matter if they split up to get different enemies, but you are not to engage them. Understood?"

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She scoffed. "Don't call me that… Now, there is one other part to your mission. You not only have to retrieve them and direct them to the enemies, but you must also retrieve any injured and treat them as best as you can before bringing them back to the village hospital. I am entrusting this task to you, so you better not screw it up. Got it?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

She gave me a look, not liking the other pronoun I had said, but she just sighed and waved her hand. "Hurry up then. Don't bother packing anything more than essentials. You need to complete this task within the day."

I bowed, and quickly left the office, poofing to my apartment and gathering water and energy bars as well as a few soldier pills and other necessities I may need for both, myself, and the injured I was going to pick up. Once finished, I hurried out of the village and began my trek to Sunagakure. _Sasuke turned traitor… I understand the need for revenge, but one would think he would wait for the best opportunity. That, and I have no doubt Naruto would have helped him should he ever be attacked by this person he wanted to kill. The only thing Orochimaru has to offer him is…_ I trailed off, gritting my teeth as I sped through the trees. _Power._

I pushed all thoughts from my mind other than getting to where I needed to be, pushing chakra into my legs to get me to Sunagakure as quickly as possible. Normally, it was a three day walk (something I had learned from my many travels), but I pushed myself and reached the edge of the forest in a few hours, legs burning as I took in the sight of the sand dunes. _Now the fun part. Trying not to get lost in the dunes before reaching Sunagakure._ I swallowed thickly and pulled out a single scroll from inside my pack, staring at it and hoping, praying that it would work.

Biting my thumb to draw blood, I did the hand signs and slammed my palm onto the paper seal and called out. "Summoning no jutsu!"

Poof of smoke appeared and I was more than shocked by the rather large animal that appeared before me, causing me to fall onto my backside in blatant shock. _W-What the…_ The animal let out a snort, hoof pawing at the ground, stirring up sand as it shook its head, black mane swishing around on its neck. _I-I've never seen something like this before… I-It's like the oxen that carried the caravans except… leaner and less bulky._ The animal turned its long face towards me and scoffed.

"You going to just sit on the ground like an idiot, or are you going to get on. I don't have all day."

My mouth dropped open in shock and, though hidden behind my scarf, the animal seemed to understand my obvious confusion.

"Great, I've been summoned by an idiot… Look, kid, I'm a horse, alright? It's not often we get summoned so you're lucky. I'll give you that. But I'm not going to stand here all day, so hurry up and get on my back before I just leave you here in the sand."

I hesitantly got up and stepped towards the large animal. My head only went up to its shoulder and I was very confused as to how to get on it, but I soon placed my hands on its back and jumped up and onto the animal. It was odd, but for some reason, it felt almost natural to be on its back. Looking at it better, I took in just how muscular this animal was and the way its coat shined a dark brown, instead of the black I initially thought it was. _I-It's a very beautiful animal… But I'm still very confused._

"Oi, you're going to need to hang on unless you _want_ to fall off."

I looked for something to hold on to, but found nothing, obviously annoying the horse.

"Kami… Grab my mane, you idiot."

I did so, not holding too tightly for fear of hurting the animal, but when he took off, I held on for my life. It took a while before I calmed down enough to relax on the animal and actually enjoy the ride. It was far faster than how fast I could have gotten through the sand and the horse seemed to know where we're going, which was another plus.

"Hey, kid. What's your name? I can't keep calling you idiot." The horse said, eyes glancing back at me.

"S-Shi."

"Hm. I'm Shoji."

I nodded, closing my eyes and pressing my face into the back of Shoji's neck, spreading out my senses and just listening as we thundered through the desert sands. It wasn't long though, before he slowed his pace, letting me know that we were at Sunagakure. I lifted my head and as soon as we reached the gates, he stopped and turned so I could give my message to the two men guarding the gates, who also seemed shocked at the horse I was riding.

"The Hokage has sent me for Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari." I said, handing a man the scroll that Tsunade had given me, requesting the three's assistance.

He immediately ran off and delivered it, returning not a few minutes later with the three sand siblings. Gaara, the red-haired boy stepped up first, the other two gawking at the animal I was riding.

"You are the messenger from Konoha?"

I nodded. "I am to escort you to the genin team that has engaged enemies in the forest nearby."

He looked up at me. "Do you know where they are?"

 _Hadn't thought about that…_ I thought, but gave a firm nod. "I can track them."

He nodded and turned to the other two. "We must hurry."

They also nodded and we all soon took of across the desert sands, myself and Shoji taking the lead due to our speed and me having to track where everyone was. _I can't find Naruto's scent quite yet, but I found Shikamaru's and… is that Lee's?_ I grew more concerned and headed off towards Lee's first, Gaara being the first to notice my new found eagerness.

"Do not worry." He said, not far behind me, but catching my attention. "Trust in them. They are strong."

I had a sudden flashback to me comforting Lee not more than a day ago, telling him just how strong he was, and I nodded to Gaara in understanding and relaxing once more.

"Shoji. When we reach the forest, you may go."

The horse nodded and once we reached the forest, I jumped off his back up into the trees, leaving him to disappear in a puff of smoke. Technically, I could have probably kept riding him, but the forest was narrower and tracking was going to be more difficult if we were traveling at that speed. _I've located Shikamaru, Lee, and Kiba. All three engaged with an enemy._ I quickly turned my head and began giving out orders.

"Shikamaru is engaged with an enemy five meters on the right and is within inches of said enemy."

"Got it." Temari said, hurrying off towards that direction.

"Kiba and Akamaru are fighting another enemy and are injured ten meters north west of our direction."

"Looks like that's me." Kankuro announced, going that way.

"And it seems Lee is combating an enemy twelve meters straight ahead of us, also with injuries."

Gaara nodded and began to go past me, but I stopped him.

"I have yet to forgive you, but perhaps Lee is kinder than I."

He hesitated then nodded, before heading off and I went around where their battle was, heading towards the other two scents I had just caught hold of. _Neji and Chouji are both very hurt. I need to hurry._ I grit my teeth against the pain in my legs and pumped chakra into them to push myself to the limit. _Hurry, hurry, hurry._ I reached Neji first and upon catching sight of his injury, I swallowed, quickly doing some hand signs and putting my new skills in first-aid to work. I managed to slow the bleeding, but this injury was far too much for me to handle, so I did my best, pulling out bandages and patching him up as good as I could before placing him on my back and hurrying to Chouji's scent.

 _Not good._ I thought, feeling my chakra reserves getting far lower than I expected after trying to heal Neji, and I managed to reach back and pull out a soldier pill, chomping down on it and feeling slightly better. I located Chouji not far from a recently destroyed patch of forest and found him, not so much injured as completely chakra exhausted. _His chakra levels are so low… not good._ I did my best to siphon off some of my chakra into him and picked him up as well, before heading back to Konoha as quickly as possible. The forest was denser in this area, so I couldn't use Shoji, but I knew I could make it if I just pushed myself a bit further.

After a while, I began slowly taking chakra from my tattoo seal, using that to help me make it to the gates where I informed the men there to get the Hokage and bring her to the hospital to take care of the two I had. They hurried and did so as I pushed my legs to their limit and reached the hospital the same moment my legs gave out. The nurses quickly relieved me of the two genin I had carried and they went to treat me as well, but I shook my head and used some of my sealed chakra to 'poof' into the Hokage's office.

"Shi?"

I huffed, collapsing onto the ground exhausted, and managed to look up at Tsunade and Kakashi, who I hadn't expected to be there.

"S-Sorry for interrupting." I gasped out, leaning my head back against the wall behind me and pulling my scarf down to try and get some air into my lungs. "I-I brought them. Two critically injured. Hospital."

Kakashi immediately hurried to my side, Tsunade coming over as well, hands glowing green as she placed them on my legs.

"She okay?" Kakashi asked, looking me over for possible injuries.

Tsunade let out a long sigh. "She's over worked her legs and has minor chakra exhaustion. She'll be lucky if she can walk for the next 24 hours."

I let out a chuckle, surprising them both. "I-I can summon."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and Kakashi let out a short chuckle as well.

"That's great, Shi. Now come on. Let's get you home."

Kakashi lifted my arm over his shoulder, carrying me towards the door, only for Tsunade to call out to him.

"Your mission has already been decided, Kakashi!"

Kakashi waved on hand over his shoulder. "Eh, when I'm finished, I'll come back. There's no need to worry."

We left and Kakashi quickly poofed me to my apartment, helping me in and getting me situated before heading towards the door. This time though, _I_ stopped him.

"Kakashi…"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault." I said, watching as he turned his head slightly towards me in the doorway before he turned back and closed the door quietly behind him. _I hope he understands… Sasuke leaving isn't his fault… just as the Hokage's death isn't mine…_ I thought, quickly and easily drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

It rained that evening, both in actuality and in my nightmares. I dreamed of Sasuke killing Naruto and of Orochimaru laughing in the background, using me to kill Kakashi and destroy Konoha. I dreamt of pain and blood, of overwhelming darkness and the deep, heartfelt pain of abandonment. I dreamt of people crying, of myself crying, of death and scars, torture and grieving. But there was something else I dreamt of. I dreamt of God, standing there watching it all telling me it wasn't supposed to be like this. I dreamt of him painting a scene of two brothers and a big misunderstanding, a family who was torn apart by a demon fox, a son wishing so much to not be his father, and a man with a red eye wanting absolute peace in the world after watching his friend die by the hands of another friend.

 _It's not supposed to be like this… So much pain and sorrow… So much hurt…_

God began to cry and I did as well, wishing there was something either of us could do about all this, but there wasn't. People were meant to die, to live, to be reborn or sent into another world. Without these things, the world wouldn't move on. Without those two brothers' misunderstanding, the younger wouldn't have met the boy from the family attacked by the fox. And without that fox, the boy wouldn't have become such a strong person. He wouldn't have effected so many people. The boy who didn't want to be his father wouldn't have understood just how important camaraderie is and he wouldn't have grown up the way he did, able to pass on that knowledge to the fox boy and the revengeful brother. And without the red eye man, the fox boy wouldn't have understood just how important peace would be and how ideas can become corrupted over time, trailing darkness over the hearts of different people.

Everything had a purpose. Every event, no matter how painful or heart wrenching, happened for a reason. _But what is my purpose? Why was I brought here?_ God just smiled, tearfully, handing me the paintbrush and pushing me towards the easel.

" _You are here to mark the hearts of people. To join them together and help them understand what their purpose is. You are…"_

He said the last word, but I couldn't hear it. No sound came from his mouth, but what he said brought a smile to my face nonetheless and everything felt calm, peaceful even. _This is how it's supposed to be…_ I thought, before waking up to see a blurry ceiling and sunlight shining through the window beside me, as tears continued to fall slowly down my face. And I smiled. A bright, grin that stretched across my face, causing me to laugh because, for once, I was genuinely happy. I knew what I was, why I was here, and what I planned to do now that I was.

"I am… a survivor."

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur of training and eagerness. I had bumped into Jiraiya who had told me Naruto and I would be doing one-on-one training with him for three years, which seemed a bit much, but I understood and was more than willing to do so. I had also trained a bit with Lee who was much better after his surgery, even surpassing Guy in his youthfulness on occasion. What's more, I was greeted and thanked by Choji and Neji as well as their sensei, Asuma and Guy. They had thanked me profusely for being the first on scene to bring back their students for medical treatment (at least, Guy did. Asuma was far calmer.) and it seemed someone has passed the word around about what I had done and I often got patted on the back by other jounin, thanking me. Kakashi found it amusing, however I found it as nothing little more than annoying.

He and I had actually been on really good terms since what had happened and, although he hadn't expressed himself as to what may be bothering him, I gave him my silent support and didn't push him on the issue. I knew he still blamed himself for what happened with Sasuke, my suspicions confirmed when I saw him at the gravestone talking to a dead comrade about what had happened, but I didn't disturb him other than occasionally going out of my way to drop by his house for dinner, claiming that I liked his food better than the take-out I normally get. He probably knew I was worried about him too, but he never said anything, so I assumed we had a mutual understanding. He wouldn't have to tell me and I wouldn't bring it up, but we both knew what was going on. _It's too bad I'm leaving today._

I let out a long sigh, packing my things away in a scroll and stuffing that into a small pack on my back with a few other scrolls and necessities. Jiraiya said to meet him at the gates and he'd bring Naruto, so I was about ready to go, when I caught sight of a glint of light on my dresser. When I headed over, I couldn't help but smile at the paintbrush, and picked it up as well, heading out to drop by an art supply store before I went to the gates.

Once I had those things packed away in a scroll, I poofed up at the gates and waited calmly for Jiraiya and Naruto to arrive. I didn't have to wait long before they _did_ show up and Jiraiya smirked as Naruto bounded up to me with a big grin on his face.

"Aren't you excited, Shi?! We get to go off and see the world and learn some super cool jutsus and stuff! I can't wait!"

I gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair before the three of us headed out, Naruto throwing a fist in the air with a loud shout.

"Yosha!"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, looking up at the blue sky with a small smirk on my face. _Three years, huh…_


	7. Chapter 7

I let out a long yawn, catching Naruto's attention as we walked.

"Neh, Shi! I'm tired! Can't you call out that horse thing so we can hitch a ride?"

I smacked him on the back of his head. "No. You need the exercise."

"Huh?! But all we've been doing the past two and a half years is training! I'm not going to get fat!"

I scoffed quietly. "You will when we get back and eat Ichiraku out of all their ramen."

Naruto's face turned a bright shade of red, knowing that I was right, and he stomped his foot childishly.

"Gah! I hate it when you're right!"

I smirked. "Always am."

Naruto settled for folding his arms across his chest and grumbling to himself as we walked while Jiraiya chuckled, patting him on the head.

"Heh, she's right, you know. It's best to just accept that women are usually right, even when they're wrong."

I gave Jiraiya a glance, suspicious of his sudden words of wisdom, when he ruined it.

"Especially in bed—"

I immediately punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground as my eyebrow twitched. I had been struggling to keep my temper in check these past two years because of him and protecting Naruto from his perverted ways was not an easy task. _Especially when he had us both running around that one time to gather so called 'information' when he just wanted us to steal some women's underwear._ I sighed, calming down and pulled the hood of my tan traveling cloak up to keep from looking at the moron.

Naruto and I had changed quite a bit in our years of training and, as much as I hate to admit it, he was only a few centimeters from matching my height and he _loved_ to rub it in. _He may seem more mature, but if anything I'd almost say he's more immature than when we left._ I sighed to myself and decided to focus on something else. _At least Jiraiya was decent enough to give us money for new clothes. Naruto's and mine were ruined._ I pulled at my sleeveless black shirt and, although my outfit hadn't changed too much, the metal arm guards and shin guards were new as were my black gloves at went up to just past my elbows. A light jingle from my ear reminded me of my other new additions to my wardrobe; two silver earrings on my upper right ear and a long gold one on my left earlobe. _Add those to my new katanas and red sash, and I guess I've actually changed quite a bit._

"Oi, Shi! You're not listening again!"

 _Then again, some things never change…_ I thought, turning to Naruto with a blank look. "You say something?"

"Agh! Shi!" Naruto whined, but he got distracted as the village gates showed up not too far in front of us, and grinned widely. "Look Shi! We're finally back!"

I nodded, pulling down my scarf and grinning back, ruffling his hair despite the fact that I know he hates it now that he's 'grown up'. He didn't seem to mind this time though and continued to grin happily as the three of us walked through Konoha gates.

"It's been about two and a half years, neh, Shi?"

I pulled my scarf back up, hiding the small smile I had. "Yeah."

"Indeed." Jiraiya commented, having managed to recover from my previous punch to the face.

Naruto then dropped his back pack on the ground and jumped up to the top of a pole, overlooking the whole village.

"Haha… He's certainly cheerful today, isn't he…"

"It _has_ been almost three years." I commented, looking up with Jiraiya as Naruto took in the sights, laughing at Tsunade's face on the Hokage mountain.

 _She's going to hit him one day for making fun of her._ I thought with a sweat drop, when a familiar voice rang up from a nearby rooftop.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you… Naruto… Shi."

I looked over and saw Kakashi looking down at me, waving lazily with one hand as his other held a familiar book.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, jumping and landing on the roof beside him as I jumped up and did the same. "Haha. You haven't changed at all!"

I reached back and pulled out a yellow book, hitting Naruto on the head with the spine of it.

"Says the childish prankster."

"Hey!" He said, rubbing his head with a pout. "I only pranked pervy-sennin a few times!"

I raised a brow, and Naruto turned his gaze to the ground.

" _And_ I only tried to prank you a bunch of times."

I nodded, and passed the book I was holding to Kakashi, who looked at the cover is shock.

"What?! You… H-How… T-This is…"

I smirked, enjoying the shocked look on his face as Naruto spoke.

"It's the latest in the Icha Icha series after three years. It's really boring, but Shi said it was good so you'll still like it… I think…"

Kakashi looked up at me and I pulled down my scarf giving him a grin, surprising him.

"It's good."

He looked down at the book with wide eyes and back up at me before standing and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I am forever in your debt."

I pulled my scarf back up and nodded, before the three of us jumped down to join Jiraiya once more. Naruto grabbed his backpack and charged ahead of us a bit, shouting about Ichiraku ramen whereas I stayed back with Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"As promised, I'll leave Naruto back into your care." Jiraiya said to Kakashi, giving me a smile too. "Lovely Shi, as well."

I glared at him and he chuckled nervously before regaining his serious face.

"I fear Akatsuki has been growing impatient. They may make an attempt on Naruto soon. I'm going to head around and gather as much information as I can. You better watch it too, Shi." He said, eyeing me. "Try to keep out of their radar."

I nodded calmly, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He had told me during our travels about the Akatsuki group and even had me accompanying him to gather information on them while he had Naruto training by himself. Needless to say, I was a very good asset to Jiraiya and proved my worth in tracking and information gathering while I was with him. Not to mention the fact that I was also capable of handling an out of control Naruto pretty well too. However Jiraiya wasn't the only one who received scars from that encounter.

"Ah!"

I was jolted out of my thoughts as Naruto shouted.

"S-Sakura?"

"Eh? Naruto?!"

Sakura wasn't alone either and Tsunade stood beside her, catching my gaze with a serious look. I gazed back evenly and removed my hood with a nod, attracting a raised brow from Kakashi and Jiraiya, the only two who had noticed our little exchange. I reached into my small pouch at my waist and pressed my hand to a seal at the bottom of the bag, allowing me to reach in and pull out a nice sized bottle, that shouldn't have fit in the small bag I had pulled it from. _Working with a seal master like Jiraiya has its perks._ Once the adults of our group caught sight of what I pulled out, Kakashi and Jiraiya sweatdropped and I handed it over to Tsunade discretely, watching as she tucked it away up her sleeve.

"Took a while to find it." I said quietly. "I tested it though. It's the real deal."

She grinned, as did I, both of us sharing a like for rare sake brands which had brought us together once before for drinks and had established a good friendship between us. _All thanks to Anko blabbing to her about my drinking skills._ I then turned my attention to Sakura, who was poking her cheek and staring at Naruto in a more… flirtatious manner.

"How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?"

"You look fine!" Naruto grinned, though I feared what he'd say next. "You haven't changed at all."

I immediately bopped him on the head with my fist, scolding him. "Be nice."

"You look very, erm, pretty Sakura." He muttered in response, pleasing Sakura more than his previous comment.

She then turned her eyes to me though, grinning almost… mischievously. "You've gotten prettier too, Shi."

I flushed a nice pink shade, blinking in shock at her words, and looking down at myself in confusion as to what could make her say that. _I-I hardly look womanly. I mean, sure, I do have some assets, but nothing worth her praise._ I looked back up at her to find her giggling at my shocked expression, before she turned to none other than Kakashi.

"Don't you think so, Kakashi-sensei?"

I turned to him with wide eyes, only to find him look me over and give me a closed-eye grin, Tsunade and Jiraiya also grinning in the background.

"You certainly _have_ gotten more beautiful, Shi."

The pink in my cheeks turned a dark scarlet color and I turned away, moving shakily to leave.

"I-I just remembered, I h-have something to do." I muttered, moving to leave, only for Tsunade to grab the back of my collar and hold me back.

"Not yet, you don't." She said, keeping me from leaving, just as someone new showed up.

"Naruto niichan!"

I turned and looked as a young boy with goggles called out, "Sexy no jutsu" and transformed into a naked woman. Recognizing the technique, I felt all previous embarrassment leave, being replaced by annoyance. Sensing this, Tsunade released me as I pulled out a book from my pouch and threw it at the boy/girl's head, the spine of the book smacking them hard across the face.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

The boy transformed back, rubbing his reddening face and looked up to find me standing above him looking less than pleased.

"U-Uh, w-w-who are you?"

I frowned. "Shi. And you will learn not to do that around me unless you want to end up bleeding."

A drop of blood dripped down his red nose from his contact with my book and I picked up said object, snapping it shut loudly and making him jump before I walked back over to where Kakashi and the others were, all of which looking at me shocked.

"That was, uh… interesting." Kakashi said, glancing as the boy went over to Naruto and complained about me.

I nodded, eyes closed. "I can only handle so much thanks to them." I grumbled, opening my eyes and thrusting a thumb in Jiraiya and Naruto's direction.

"A-Ah. I see."

"You idiot!" Sakura suddenly shouted, punching Naruto and launching him a good distance from us before yelling quite loudly, even scaring the boy from before (Konohamaru, as Kakashi so nicely provided).

"Jiraiya… Naruto has grown more and more like you in these past two years, hasn't he?" Tsunade commented, though I could tell Jiraiya was thinking the same as her about Sakura.

 _Like teacher like student, I suppose._ I thought, remembering how much I acted like Kakashi when I was first being trained under him. _I guess I still act like him on some accounts though. I have opened up a lot more however, since being around Naruto and Jiraiya._

"Right. The nostalgia ends here though." Tsunade suddenly announced. "Kakashi."

Kakashi snapped his book shut, catching my attention, seeing how he hasn't put it away since I gave it to him.

"Well… It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Even Naruto and Sakura were as confused as I was, as to what was going on and the three of us gazed curiously at Kakashi as he went on.

"From now on, the three of you will come with me on team-related missions. It's different than before. It's no longer teacher and pupil. Starting today, we're equal Konoha shinobi."

I was still confused and blinked a few times, tilting my head to the side in curiosity, until Kakashi held out a set of three bells.

"Well… first I'm a bit curious as to how you've developed. The rules are the same as when I first met you three. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never succeed in getting the bells!"

The four of us followed after Kakashi as he led us to a familiar training ground, three stumps still waiting behind him.

"Like I said, the rules are the same as before. No matter how, try to get the bells from me. You have until sunrise tomorrow."

Naruto and Sakura looked around, most definitely remembering what had happened the first time we met Kakashi here.

"This place… I've missed it."

"Yeah."

Kakashi though, seemed to have just recognized where he brought us. "Ah, that's right. This is where you first trained, isn't it?"

"Team Seven." Sakura said.

"The four man team." Naruto followed afterwards, obviously remembering Sasuke and getting more depressed by the minute.

Kakashi, of course, made it worse. "That time… Sasuke was around too, wasn't he?"

Things grew even quieter and I sighed when Naruto and Sakura curled up on the ground in a depression. I was a bit upset by remembering him as well, but it was more of a feeling of slight anger at him for abandoning his comrades the way he did. Like Sakura, I never got to know Sasuke very well. There were times where we would understand one another about some things, but for the most part we never spoke. _Can't say it's odd for me to do that though. I'm the same way with Neji, Choji, and Ino for the most part and Tenten too. Though with her, it's more of her peppy forceful nature that has me staying away. Even Lee and Guy are less eccentric than her sometimes._ A chill ran up my spine at remembering the one time Tenten was trying to put a rather bright pink accessory in my hair. Needless to say, it wasn't long before I was joining Naruto and Sakura on the ground in my own little depression only for the snapping of Kakashi's book to catch our attention.

"Well then, shall we begin?" Kakashi said, putting his book away, which picked all three of us up from our depression. He was getting serious.

"Heh, you won't do it while reading the book this time, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto chuckled, tightening his forehead protector.

Sakura too, smirked, pulling on some black gloves. "You've already finished it?"

"No. I think I should save the enjoyment for later. Besides, this time, for some reason…" Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector, revealing his sharingan. "I get the feeling I should take it a little seriously too. Especially with you, Shi."

I raised a brow, struggling to hide a smirk. "Oh?"

His eyes narrowed seriously. "Who knows what sort of new tricks you have up your sleeves. I haven't yet forgot how you took the bells from me the first time."

I gave him a closed-eye grin. "That'll just make things more interesting."

The bells on Kakashi's belt chimed and, as expected, Naruto was the first to move, throwing shuriken at Kakashi, who ducked and returned his own shuriken. I simply began shrugging off my traveling coat and tucking it into the storage seal on the inside of my bag, keeping an eye on Naruto as he jumped over the shuriken and Kakashi threw more at him mid-air. Naruto, having at least grown a bit more battle savvy while with Jiraiya and I, created a clone that pulled him out of the way. As soon as he landed, he transformed his clone into a fuuma shuriken but Kakashi was a step faster and had a kunai to the back of his head the same instance another clone popped up behind Kakashi with a kunai to his back.

"Your haste hasn't changed." Kakashi said, before grinning. "Alright. Start!"

He then disappeared in a poof of smoke and this time, Sakura was the one to find him, slamming her fist into the ground and destroying a good portion of earth with her punch, uprising the ground to find Kakashi looking more than surprised.

"Found you!"

I heard a dry chuckle from Naruto and raised a brow, before giving my own short chuckle. _He's obviously worried about how to treat her now. It's a whole lot different when the girl can kick your ass, isn't it, Naruto?_ Kakashi jumped up onto the top of a section of earth and smirked.

"Alright, this time I should also do something on my end."

I smirked under my scarf, shouting out. "Sakura! Duck!"

She did so and I charged, barely a blur as I jumped off her back and up into the air. Kakashi stared up at me, but I had picked the best angle where the sun was behind me and he couldn't make out my hand signs, causing his eyes to widen in shock and giving him little chance to dodge as I pulled my scarf down and shouted out my attack.

"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

A dragon made of flames came from my mouth, swooping down to attack Kakashi, who just barely managed to dodge, though the edge his sleeve and glove were burnt. Moving quickly, I landed behind the dust the dragon had thrown up upon hitting the ground and did more hand signs, launching another rather large dragon upwards into the sky.

"Oi, Shi! You missed!" Naruto shouted, but he soon shut up when I stood, pointing at the sky and drawing my sword.

"No, I didn't."

Clouds had gathered and the deep rumble of thunder shook the area we were in, as a steady rain began to fall.

"Hm, smart, Shi." Kakashi said, standing not far from me. "The heat from the fire gathered storm clouds, but there's just one problem. You seemed to have forgotten…" He smirked, hand charging up with lightening behind him. "I have lightning chakra nature."

I tilted my head with a grin. "Oops."

"Oops?! What do you mean, oops?!" Naruto shouted behind me, Sakura holding him back as he flailed. "How did you not know that?! Shi! You baka!"

Kakashi charged at me, the high pitched whistling of his chidori ringing loudly, and I crouched down—ignoring Naruto for now—and dragged my sword tip along the ground as I ran right towards him. I pushed chakra into my blade, lacing it with wind nature chakra and, as powerful as I knew Kakashi's chidori was, I had high hopes for my own technique. Taking a deep breath, I reached back and attached a chain and kunai to a hole in my blade and just before Kakashi thrust his chidori forward, I lifted my sword and threw the kunai into the ground. His chidori hit my sword, screeching loudly and spreading electricity into it, but the lightning trailed down the chain into the ground, negating it and causing me to smirk at Kakashi's shocked expression.

"You forget, Kakashi…" I said, beginning to duck. "...I know the elements like the back of my hand."

As I ducked, a Naruto clone jumped onto my back with a fuuma shuriken aimed right at Kakashi. Problem was, Kakashi managed to evade it and elbowed the Naruto clone in the gut, getting rid of it before going after me. _Damn, he's fast!_ I jumped back as quick as I could, but he managed to guess where I was jumping to and a kunai embedded itself deeply into my shoulder. I stood, taking a step back, and stared as the blood began staining my shirt; remembering just how much money I had used on new clothes while with Jiraiya and Naruto, and imagining the many ways I could skin Kakashi for what he had done.

* * *

Immediately, Sakura went to take a step forward to help Shi, but Naruto pulled her back.

"Naruto, what are you doing I need to—"

Naruto shook his head quickly, eyes wide in a familiar panic. "Bad idea, Sakura! We need to get back!"

Sakura raised a brow, but upon looking over Naruto's shoulder at Shi, she paled, allowing Naruto to tug her wrist away from the clearing as Shi's killing intent went through the roof.

"I just bought this shirt…" Shi muttered, reaching up and pulling the kunai from her shoulder without so much as a wince.

Kakashi too, seemed to pale in understanding of what he had done. _Seems that possessiveness over food now applies to her clothes as well… Not good._ "S-Shi, you can just get another shirt. It's fine."

"Fine?" Shi said, lifting her head enough for Kakashi to see just how furious she was, her eyes flashing a frightening grey.

Kakashi took a step back, looking around for an escape from the enraged female, only to spot Naruto with a hand cupping his mouth.

"Bad move, Kakashi-sensei! Shi _hates_ it when money is wasted!"

 _You're kidding me._ He thought, turning back to Shi to find her yanking the chain attached to her sword and pulling the kunai up from the ground where she had thrown it earlier, walking towards him most certainly with murder on her mind. Seeing no other option, Kakashi swallowed thickly and prepared to fight. _And if I'm lucky, she'll tire out._ Shi let out a growl and attacked with everything she had, Kakashi barely blocking her sword with his kunai with wide eyes. _Or not!_

The sun slowly set as the battle between Shi and Kakashi continued, Sakura and Naruto hiding behind a tree, panting from trying to help Shi on occasion.

"I already knew it, but the sharingan is really amazing… And not only that, his seal-making speed… It's too fast for me to follow… If we could somehow stop him using both hands, we could get to the bells."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah… Kakashi-sensei's unreasonably strong. He's smarter than Shikamaru… And he has a better sense of smell than Kiba… He has better sharingan skills than Sasuke… and better taijutsu than Bushy-Brows…"

Sakura nodded, a small grin on her face. "Shi's pretty strong too. The two of them haven't stopped since Kakashi landed that hit to her shoulder."

Naruto let out a quiet chuckle. "Heh, yeah. Shi's super strong. She's probably better than him too."

"Maybe, but don't you think she's holding back?"

Naruto nodded, a small frown on his face. "Yeah. I was wondering why. She goes all out with Pervy-sennin."

"Neh, Naruto?" Sakura leaned closer, whispering to him quietly. "Don't you think Shi and Kakashi like each other?"

"Huh?" He gave her a confused look. "Of course they do. Shi likes a lot of people, Sakura."

Sakura's eye twitched as she hit Naruto upside the head. "Not like that, you idiot! I mean _love_ each other!"

"Oh!" Naruto put a finger to his chin in thought. "Well, she _was_ doing some weird stuff while we were training."

"Like what?" Sakura asked, curious.

Naruto held a finger up. "She painted a lot."

Sakura sweat dropped. "Painted?" _I didn't take Shi as the artsy type._

Naruto nodded with an evil grin. "I caught her painting Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock. "No way."

"Yup! And when I asked her why, she totally blushed!"

Sakura smiled brightly, getting excited. "She totally likes him! That explains why she's not going all out! _He's_ her weakness!"

"Yosh!… Ah, but we need to find Kakashi's weakness."

"I know what it is." A voice said, and they both jumped as Shi stumbled over, plopping down on the ground with a 'thump'.

"S-Shi! Uh… how much of that did you hear?" Sakura questioned, worried that Shi had overheard everything they were talking about.

"You were talking about Kakashi's weakness." She panted out, pulling her scarf down and spitting some blood off to the side. "I know what it is."

"Ah!" Naruto said. "He _does_ have a weak point!"

"Eh? R-Really?"

"Hahaha, Sakura! If you really think back about how Kakashi-sensei's been until now, you'll understand." Naruto snickered.

"Stop being such a know-it-all, Naruto! What's the weak point?!"

"Hehe, well, it's got to be _that_ , right Shi?"

Sakura turned to Shi, who nodded, canines shining in the dim moonlight as she pulled out a familiar yellow book.

"Here's what we'll do."

Once they all knew what the plan was, they used Shi's nose to track Kakashi down and immediately jumped at him. _They really have to be joking, making a direct attack._ Kakashi thought, but he didn't expect what happened next.

"Now, Naruto!"

"Let's go! Kakashi-sensei! The last joke in Icha Icha Tactics! The truth is that the main character—"

Kakashi panicked, covering his ears, only to realize that he can still read Naruto's lips with his sharingan and thus closed his eyes as well. Taking that chance, Shi, Naruto, and Sakura grabbed a bell from Kakashi and held them up with equal grins.

"Huh?"

"Hehe, a ninja should look underneath the underneath." Naruto said, quoting Kakashi from their first survival training years ago. "Right, sensei?"

Kakashi sighed, admitting defeat and pulling back down his forehead protector and putting up his palms in defeat.

"I suppose you win this time. Ah, but Sakura? You should probably heal Shi."

Sakura's eyes widened and she turned to find Shi tilting her head in confusion.

"Hm?"

Sakura, obviously not pleased with Shi's indifference to the fact that her shoulder was still bleeding quite a bit and that there were other wounds that she was ignoring, quickly pushed Shi's shoulders down, sitting her down on the ground up against a tree nearby.

"Shi! Why didn't you remind me?!" Sakura scolded, placing glowing green hands on Shi's shoulder wound.

"Forgot." Was Shi's simple response, earning a sweat drop from Naruto and Kakashi.

"How do you forget something like this?! And you!" Sakura rounded her gaze to Kakashi, who pointed to himself in confusion. "Was it really necessary to inflict this many wounds?!"

Kakashi nervously scratched the back of his head. "W-Well, she _was_ trying to kill me."

Shi narrowed her eyes at him. "And you better keep your promise."

"Promise?" Naruto and Sakura questioned.

Kakashi nodded with a resigned sigh. "I have to buy her a new shirt. It was the only way to get her to stop attacking me for a few minutes."

Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's anguish, whereas Sakura rolled her eyes, turning back to Shi.

"I need you to lift up your shirt, Shi."

"Hm?" Shi hummed, playing innocent.

Sakura frowned. "Don't give me that. You have a cracked rib. I'm not stupid."

Shi blinked, still playing innocent. "I do?"

Sakura, having enough, poked Shi's ribs rather harshly, earning a painful grimace. " _Yes._ You do. I need to make sure it's not broken though."

Shi begrudgingly lifted up her shirt, revealing not only a rather large bruise, but also multitudes of scars. Despite the numerous times Shi had been injured, there was always someone else bandaging her up and healing her, so none of the trio had actually seen the extent of damage Orochimaru had done to Shi during her two years of torture, and she preferred it that way. The looks Sakura and Naruto were giving her were only further proof that she didn't want anyone seeing the scars and she pretended that she couldn't see their worried looks. Especially since there was one set of scars that were more recent than the others.

A group of five long scratch marks that started at the end of her sternum and went down around her left side and hip were still a shade of pink, as opposed to the lighter coloration of the older scars. These, as Naruto's guilty face would tell anyone, were from him. As mentioned before, Shi had proven to be very apt to helping Jiraiya control Naruto's rampages and, transformed or not, stopping an out-of-control jinchuriki was not an easy task. Spotting his look, Shi gave him her own serious look, mentally telling him it wasn't his fault and to stop blaming himself, something Naruto understood and he looked away while scratching his cheek. Kakashi caught sight of this and easily put two and two together but before anyone could think more about it, Sakura spoke up.

"Shi… What are these from?"

"Sakura, I don't think—" Kakashi started to say, but the teary eyed look Sakura gave him quickly shut him up.

"Don't tell me not to ask, Kakashi-sensei! I've known Shi's been hiding things for a long time now and don't you think it's about time we got some answers too?!"

"Sakura…" Naruto said quietly, not expecting this kind of response from her.

"I'm not stupid, you know!" She went on. "I remember what happened when she fought Zabuza! I saw her during the chunin exams! I heard what people were saying the two months she went missing! And if we're going to be a team, then I want to know! I can't team up with someone if I don't know what could happen while we're fighting! Even if it's Shi!"

Kakashi turned to Shi, watching her for some sort of reaction to what Sakura was saying and he was surprised to see guilt and a deep sadness written clearly all over her face. _I've never seen this much emotion from her… What that bastard did to her… It must really hurt and keeping it a secret for so long… Those scars run deeper than just the surface…_ Sakura turned back around to Shi, as she pulled her shirt back down, eyes downcast.

"Please, Shi." Sakura said quietly, looking down and placing a hand over Shi's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I-I…" Shi closed her mouth, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "I am… was… an experiment for Orochimaru."

Sakura look up in shock along with Naruto, who clenched his fists tightly.

"He found me when I woke up with no memories… He took me and… I didn't stand a chance." Shi swallowed thickly. "I spent two years with him and escaped… I was lucky… the seals were old and I had enough stored up chakra to overpower them."

"Shi…" Naruto whispered in surprise.

"I held it back… at first… But then, with Zabuza…" Shi looked down at her palm, remembering the blood on her hand when she killed Haku. "And it happened again when _he_ showed up at the exams… I just… didn't want anyone to get hurt."

Shi looked over at Naruto sadly, who stared back equally emotional. Shi looked back down, quiet for only but a moment.

"I understand should you ask for me to be on a different team…" Shi placed a hand on her stomach where the seal was. "It may be sealed, but… I don't want to be a danger to any of you."

"What are you talking about, Shi?" Naruto said, surprisingly quiet, turning to look at Shi with a big grin. "It's not Team Seven without you."

Shi looked at him in shock, turning to Kakashi to find him smiling as well, and then looking over at Sakura, who had yet to raise her head.

"He's right… It wouldn't be a team without you." She said, lifting her head to show a smiling face despite the tears that pricked the corner of her eyes.

Shi was surprised. She didn't really know what to think for a moment. These people before her, they cared for her. Even though she had a beast inside her that could possibly kill them, they still wanted to be with her. They weren't like Orochimaru and they genuinely liked her, despite all her faults. She felt at home once more and she swore that someone placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke softly.

" _Go on."_

Shi looked down, fighting tears for the first time in years, and she pulled down her scarf as she looked up, a large grin on her face; one they had never seen before that brought a smile to their own faces.

"Thank you." Shi said, letting out a genuine laugh, sharp canines clearly visible. "Thank you."

Kakashi looked down at the scene with a soft smile. _Who knew a laugh could be so beautiful…_ He thought, but felt eyes on him and spotted a smirking Sakura, which made his smile falter. _She's far too observant for her own good._ Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention and to distract Sakura, he gave them all a cheesy grin.

"Well, I should be heading out. Shi, I believe I owe you a new shirt."

Shi's smile dropped for a moment before returning, and she got up from the ground and started following Kakashi as he pulled back out his book and headed in the direction of the market. Shi stopped though and gave Naruto and Sakura a look.

"Aren't you coming?"

Naruto grinned. "Sure! I'll co—Ow, ow, ow!" He shouted, Sakura having grabbed his ear.

"What he means is, no." She said with a far too innocent smile. "Naruto and I have… plans."

"We do?"

Sakura abruptly elbowed Naruto in the ribs. " _Yes_. We do."

She gave him a pointed look, gesturing towards Shi and Kakashi before he finally caught the hint.

"Oh, right! I totally forgot. We have that, uh, thing."

Sakura face palmed with a sigh, before hooking her arm through Naruto's and gave the two a wave.

"Bye!"

Shi raised a brow, but waved back, running a little to catch up with Kakashi before the two of them left the training grounds. Naruto, still very confused, turned to Sakura with a small grin.

"So where are we going, Sakura?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, dropping his arm. "Nowhere. I only said that so Kakashi and Shi could go out on a date."

Naruto raised a brow. "Date? Sakura, they were just buying her a new shirt."

Sakura punching him on the head, knocking him to the ground with tears in his eyes as she walked off.

"Idiot."

 _You still don't understand anything about love._

* * *

I walked beside Kakashi as he read his newest book, stretching my arms above my head with a groan, having had a good workout in our little team training session. I noticed Kakashi glancing at me out of the corner of his eye and raised a brow as I dropped my arms.

"Something wrong?"

"No…" His eyes returned to his book. "You've changed a lot in three years, Shi."

I slowly nodded, not really understanding what he was getting at. We soon reached a store though and he bought me a shirt just like the one I was wearing, before the two of us left. I half expected him to make up some excuse and poof off somewhere to go read his book, but he continued to walk by my side even though I had no idea where I was going.

"Kakashi."

"Hm."

"What did you mean?"

Kakashi looked up from his book. "Hm?"

I glanced at him. "You said I changed. What did you mean?"

Kakashi hummed, looking up at the sky as he spoke. "Well, you've definitely changed physically. You look _much_ better than you did the last time I saw you."

I nodded, a light pink tint to my cheeks as I remembered how skinny I had been after I was released from that underground prison. I had quickly gained back my weight and muscle mass once out with Jiraiya and Naruto though. _If anything, my muscle mass has increased since before. Either way, it works out in my favor._

"You're happier too."

I turned my head quickly, giving him a look as he grinned.

"It's the first time I've seen you smiling and laughing like that."

I swallowed thickly, feeling the heat in my cheeks grow warmer. "I-I, um… I was just…"

He chuckled. "There's no need to try and come up with an excuse, Shi. It's not bad to be happy sometimes."

"A-Ah." I muttered, head bowed in embarrassment.

"Hey, Shi? Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? My treat."

I turned to Kakashi in surprise, him never being the one to ask me over for dinner. _I usually just showed up. W-Why is he actually inviting me this time?_ I suddenly realized he was waiting for an answer and tried to get one out of my mouth.

"I-I, um—"

Just then though, a shadow passed overhead and we both looked up, Kakashi with a slight frown as we both realized it was a mission request for me. Kakashi sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck with a small, albeit fake, grin.

"Another time then." He said, and I opened my mouth to say something to stop him, but he poofed off before I could get anything out of my mouth, leaving me with an achy feeling in my chest.

I looked down at my hand as it clenched around my new shirt just above my heart and let out a small sigh. I recognized the feeling almost immediately. _Disappointment… I mean, I just got back from training and she's already sending me on a mission and right when Kakashi…_ I grimaced a bit before relaxing and channeling enough chakra to get me to the door outside the Hokage's office. I knocked and entered when she told me to, bowing and standing up straight with a raised brow.

"You asked for me?"

She nodded, gesturing for me to come closer, away from the door. I did so and stood maybe a foot from her desk as she dug through her paperwork and picked up a paper, holding it out for me. I took it and read it over, giving her a look.

"Don't give me that." She grumbled. "I know you just came back, but you're the fastest person we have and you already know what to look for, in this situation."

I glanced back down at the paper and sighed, scratching the back of my head. "No back up?"

She shook her head. "We're still a bit shorthanded and, as I said, you're the fastest person we've got. They may already be on the move, so the sooner you get there the better."

I frowned with a grimace. The mission she was asking me to go on was an S-rank mission to Sunagakure. I was too guard the newest Kazekage from the Akatsuki who may be attempting to go after the one-tails he had. It was a bit surprising that Gaara was already a Kage, but that was the least surprising thing to me at the moment.

"Why me?" I asked, curious and secretly not wanting to do the mission. _Not to mention it's a bit out of my range. I'm still a chunin, from what I understand._

"Well, other than you being the fastest, you and Jiraiya are the only two who have an idea of what the Akatsuki are like. Their jutsu, their appearance, what they're going after, and how they're going to do it."

I pulled back in shock. "I don't know _how_ they're going to do it."

Tsunade scoffed. "Please. Jiraiya and Kakashi aren't the only ones who know about your skills, Shi. Your skills in strategy and battle planning are some of the best I've seen since Shikaku and Shikamaru. Not to mention the stories I've heard about your knowledge of chakra natures and seals. Combine that with your speed and tracking abilities, and you're the best weapon we have."

I winced at being called a weapon, memories of Orochimaru's laughter echoing in my head, but I silently knew that she was right. It was the same as what Jiraiya had told me not long after we had left the village for our training.

" _Should the Akatsuki catch on to what we're doing and who we have with us, you're going to be the best option, Shi. I don't know what Orochimaru put you through, but from what I understand, you're the strongest and brightest person Konoha has. And that power will be useful, not only in fighting and battle, but in protecting the village and the people in it. You need to understand that."_

I swallowed my fear and took a deep breath, closing my eyes and opening them with a nod.

"Very well, Hokage-sama. I will accept the mission."

Tsunade smirked and gave me a nod in return. "Good. I've already promoted you to a jounin, thanks to Jiraiya's recommendation. We'll have to do the orientation some other time though. And you'll have to pack a bit more than the last time you took a trip there as well, since you'll be staying for at least a month or two until Jiraiya returns with more information as to what the Akatsuki are up to."

"And should something… go wrong?" I asked, already knowing what my answer would be.

"Don't let it." Tsunade said, eyes narrowed seriously.

I sighed. _Thought so._

"However, should the Akatsuki get there before you do, you are to immediately send a message back here and begin tracking them to discover where they will be at. I should be able to send back-up at that point and hopefully things won't get too serious… Our relation with Sunagakure still isn't as good as it could be."

I nodded and soon left her office and poofed home, packing enough things for a two month trip and making sure I had everything I may need. Once that was finished, I replaced my traveling cloak over my shoulders and left, locking up and heading to the gate. I bumped into Guy on the way, letting him know that I couldn't stick around due to another mission and he left me off with a youthful goodbye. I also sent a wave to Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and Asuma as I passed by them before finally reaching the gates and looking up at them with a sigh.

"So I don't get a goodbye?"

I turned at the familiar voice and gave Kakashi a grin. "I should've left already."

Kakashi came over, looking down the few centimeters at me and making me nervous at how close he chose to stand.

"So how long am I going to have to wait?"

"Two months." I said, taking a slow step back, which seemed to amuse him as he begun to smile.

"Well then, I'll have to get away with this while I can."

He suddenly leaned forward and the cloth of his mask brushed my forehead, surprising me and turning my face a bright red. Kakashi, even more amused than before, gave me a closed-eye smile and waved before poofing off and leaving me very confused. _W-W-What just happened?!_ It took me a moment to gather my bearings and, as much as I wanted to hunt Kakashi down and figure out why he did what he did, I had a mission to do.

 _It's alright._ I thought, rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck. _Gotta be fast and save chakra._ I bit my thumb and slammed my palm into the ground, calling out Shoji who shook his head with a scoff.

"Already? And here I thought I'd get a bit of rest."

I patted his strong neck and sighed. "No kidding."

"Well, hop on." He said, turning his head and chewing my hair. "You'll owe me for this though."

I pushed his face away from my head and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get you some apples once we get there, okay?"

He snorted, allowing me to climb up onto his back and the two of us headed off into the forest. _And if I'm lucky, I won't be too late. The_ last _thing I need is to run into Sunagakure mid-invasion._ Little did I know, that was almost exactly what I would be doing.

* * *

I awoke with a start, having stopped to rest not an hour ago. There was a stirring in my gut, telling me to get moving, and I let out a long shaky breath, pulling a hand through my hair as I got up. Shoji also stood, having been allowing me to lean against him as we both rested, and gave me a serious look.

"You okay?"

I nodded, gathering my things and pulling out a roll of bandages to wrap Shoji's legs. I had learned while training with him that doing this helped protect his legs from being hurt while running through the forest. What's more, I had gear specially made for him, such as a saddle and reins, as well as protective metal plates to put on his legs. He didn't mind, claiming that he had once been used in wars with similar equipment, and gladly wore the armor without complaint. I liked riding him bareback though, but since this mission had a possibility of running into the Akatsuki on the way to Sunagakure, I wasn't going to take the chance of being attacked without armor.

"We need to hurry." I told him, climbing up onto his back and taking the reins. "I have a bad feeling."

He whinnied, rearing up on his back legs before taking off into the forest with me riding low on his back. The sun had just barely began rising when I had first woken up and by the time we reached the edge of the forest, it was high noon and one of the hottest times to be running out into the desert. I didn't have time to worry about the heat though and simply pulled the hood of my cloak up to protect myself from the sun. _Nearly there._ I thought, breathing in deeply through my nose and checking for scents, and what I found, had Shoji speeding up; him feeling my sudden urgency. _Blood. I may be too late._

Shoji charged through the sands and as we grew closer to the source of the scent I had picked up, I had him channel chakra into his hooves, silencing them and making our approach nigh undetectable. And once I spotted the two figures, I immediately charged Shoji between them, drawing my sword just in time to block the large metal tail that had been aiming for the dark cloaked Kankuro on the ground.

"Y-You…"

Shoji pawed at the ground as I sat up in the saddle, sword drawn and staring down at the hunched over Akatsuki member before me, scanning my brain for the information I had on him. _Sasori of the Red Sands. S-rank criminal. Known for his use of puppetry and poison. Seems Kankuro was outmatched in this situation._ The man before me narrowed his eyes, swinging his tail once more, only for me to easily block it and redirect it into the sand.

"You're going to have to try harder, Sasori of the Red Sands." I said, blank look on my face.

"So you know who I am… Big surprise coming from someone who isn't even from Sunagakure."

A puppet arm suddenly flew up from the sand, aiming to take off his head, but he dodged last minute, it only managing to tear a piece of his face cloth.

"Close." He said, calmly as the arm went limp, Kankuro having lost all energy. "The poison's making its rounds. Fufu, to be suffering like you are, if you want to live so badly, I won't kill you off here. However that poison will kill you in three days. And you…" He turned his gaze to me, eyes narrowed. "I don't have time to waste with you."

"I'm pleased you think so much of me." I muttered, knowing that I had only two options.

 _I either try to defeat him now, risk losing what surprise I had with the Akatsuki, and possibly die as well as postponing Kankuro's medical treatment. Or I let him go, follow his trail after I hand Kankuro off to some medics, keeping my element of surprise and having him lead me to their hideout. They should be in pairs, but I haven't caught the scent of the other person, so he's my only option as to finding the Akatsuki hideout._

"Hn, I will leave you be… for now." Sasori said, tail hiding under his cloak and, swirling the sand around him to hide his escape.

"Y-You idiot…" Kankuro said, as I hopped off Shoji and began to check his vital signs. "Why didn't you stop him…?"

I found his pulse and began taking mental notes as to what his symptoms were, before lifting him up and placing him on the back of Shoji, climbing on behind him as I took the reins.

"You'll find, Kankuro, that the lives of a comrade are more important than defeating an enemy who is willing to let you live another day."

"I don't… I don't understand you."

I smirked as Shoji hurried through the sands towards the village, the other shinobi we passed already dead and giving us no reason to stop. "Why fight a possibly losing battle when I can save you and follow his trail back to their hideout with back-up capable of taking him out?"

Kankuro scoffed as we neared the gates. "You're just like… that stupid blonde brat."

"If you say so." I said, quickly reaching the gates and informing the guards to immediately send Konoha an emergency message as I handed Kankuro off to a group of medics.

Staring down at the men seriously, Shoji obviously proving to be a frightening and empowering sight, I turned his reins a bit as he shuffled about anxiously.

"I need to speak with the person in charge."

"T-That would be Baki. H-He's going to be with Kankuro in the main building's medic center."

I nodded and quickly turned Shoji's reins towards the village, hurrying him along to get to the main building as quickly as possible. Once there, I stopped Shoji and faced the shocked shinobi standing at the door.

"Where is Baki?"

"I-Inside with Kankuro."

I hopped off Shoji, him nodding to let me know he'd wait for me, and I hurried into the building easily following Kankuro's scent to the room where Baki would be and barging in, surprising all who were in the room.

"What are you doing?!"

"You can't be in here!"

"You'll find I can." I said, calmly, facing the man who wasn't a medic ninja. "Baki, I am the tracker sent from Konohagakure and I have some information to pass along as well as information I need."

He nodded, telling the others to stand down as he led me out of the room and into the hall.

"Are all Konoha shinobi this brash?" He asked, obviously not pleased with my entrance, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"I have no time to waste with chivalry. I have information as to who attacked Kankuro, but I need all information you have about what's going on in return."

Baki frowned, but relented. "Gaara has been taken by the Akatsuki."

"Describe him."

"He had blonde hair and was wearing the signature Akatsuki cloak and he also rode a large white bird."

I frowned. "And his attacks?"

"I am unsure about the specifics, but it seemed he was using explosives."

 _Deidara. S-rank criminal. Known for using creatures made out of explosive clay and because he rode a bird, that explains why I couldn't find his scent._ I nodded.

"Do you have anything bearing his scent?"

Baki shook his head. "Not that I know of. Now, what do you know?"

"The man who attacked Kankuro was also one of the Akatsuki. One known as Sasori of the Red Sands."

Baki's eyes widened as I went on.

"A master of puppets and poison, however, I have his scent and should be able to follow his trail to find where he most likely met up with the other with Gaara." I said, pulling out a piece of cloth that Kankuro had torn from Sasori's face earlier.

"You can track him just with that?"

I nodded, turning to go. "I was not called here just to stand around, Baki. I may have been too late to protect Gaara, but that doesn't mean I will be too late to save him."

I hurried off out of the building, and grabbed Shoji's reins with a sigh. _It's going to be a long day._

"I guess this means no apples?" He asked, obviously tried from our trek, though he hid it well.

I rolled my eyes and reached into my small pouch, pulling out an apple and handing it to him, allowing him to eat it from my hands.

"Just don't say I never gave you anything." I grumbled, going to leave when Baki rushed out of the building and stopped me.

"W-Wait! What do you know about his poison?!"

I stopped, turning with a raised brow. "I do not know much other than him having three days. Are you unable to do anything about it?"

He frowned, obviously not liking what I was insinuating and I sighed, going to say something when a rather large hawk landed on Shoji's saddle. I rolled my eyes, ignoring Baki for now and pulled the message from its leg, reading it over with a small grin.

"It seems you will not need to worry for too long." I said, pulling a dead mouse from my pouch and tossing it to the bird, earning a sickened look from Baki.

"W-What do you mean?"

I burned the message in my hand and took Shoji's reins once more, looking at him over my shoulder.

"I suggest getting your best poisons expert in there with him for now. The rest of my team will be arriving shortly and they will help you."

I started walking away, but he stopped me once more.

"The rest of your team?! But what about you?! We need you here should they attack again!"

"They won't attack again." I said sternly, narrowing my eyes at the man. "They have what they came for and if you insist on keeping me here, there will be no way to track him to bring him back."

Baki backed off in shock and I jumped up on Shoji's back, turning around to Baki with a closed-eye grin.

"When they arrive, send Satoru off and I will return to lead them to the Akatsuki's location." I turned around and waved over my shoulder, Baki shouting behind me.

"Who's Satoru?!"

Of course, he was silenced by the same hawk from a few moments ago landing on his shoulder and I sent Shoji into a gallop out of the village and back to where I had first run into Kankuro and Sasori. Once there, I stopped Shoji and inhaled the scent of Sasori's cloth, putting it away and sniffing the air. It took a moment, but I soon found the scent and began following it through the desert. _Let's hope I can keep a hold of the scent, or this may take longer than I thought._

* * *

Kakashi and the others had finally arrived at the edge of Sunagakure, having taken Temari along with them, and meeting up with a spiky haired guard who was sent to meet them and bring them to the gates.

"Temari was with you?" He said, obviously surprised by her presence, but he shook it off, getting back on task. "We have been waiting. Please, this way!"

He led them to the gates quickly, explaining the current situation as best he could.

"But… the Kazekage was abducted. After that, Kankuro pursued them, but he was wounded."

"What?! They got Kankuro too?!"

The man nodded. "Yes, and he was caught by the enemy's poison. And we have no way to neutralize it. At this rate, he has half a day at the most."

"Shit…" Temari cursed, but Sakura caught her attention.

"Let's hurry, Temari. I'll examine him!"

Temari nodded, but then the spiky haired man spoke up. "It sounds like that person was right."

"What person?" Kakashi asked, curiously.

The spiky haired man's eyes went wide. "Oh man, you should've seen him! He came in with Kankuro on the back of this beautiful animal and he stood tall and proud almost like a king or general!"

"Uh, and who was this person?"

The man shook his head. "I have no idea, but it's thanks to him that we were able to get to Kankuro so quickly. Not only that, but rumor has it that he's gone off to track the enemies and get the Kazekage back! Ah, here we are!" He said, stopping outside a large building and gesturing inside. "They should be in medical treatment room 3."

They group nodded and hurried up, entering the room to find Kankuro lying bandaged on a table and a number of people standing around him.

"Kankuro!"

An elder woman turned to see them and immediately rounded on Kakashi, shocking him.

"The White Fang of Konoha!"

"Eh?"

She jumped and went to attack him, but Naruto was suddenly there with a clone, blocking the hits, sending her skidding away.

"Why are you going at Kakashi-sensei so suddenly for?! You wrinkled old hag!"

She looked up and glared. "I remember that time… That White Fang of Konoha… My son's enemy… I will get my revenge for him today!"

"Ah! No, I'm not—" Kakashi tried to defend.

"There's no use in arguing!"

An elder man stopped her though. "Sister, take a good look. There's a strong resemblance, but he isn't the White Fang of Konoha."

"Huh?" She narrowed her eyes, before laughing. "No way! I was just pretending to be stupid! Gyahaha!"

Kakashi sighed in relief, as Sakura brought attention back to the matter at hand.

"More importantly, Kankuro needs to be treated quickly!"

"Please!" Temari asked, and Sakura went about extracting the poison from Kankuro carefully.

"Got it!" She chuckled a bit, whipping sweat from her chin. "Heh, I don't think there's any need to worry about his life anymore. I've directly removed the poison."

Temari also sighed in relief, falling to the floor as Sakura went on.

"Now I have to make an antidote for the little bit of poison left in his body. We can't relax yet. Please gather what I say!"

The elder woman scoffed. "You're a lot like that slug woman… That a girl like you would come…"

"Yes! It's because Tsunade is my master. And my master said that I should come here."

"Sister." The older man said. "Time really is slowly flowing by…"

Naruto, seeing that Kankuro was going to be okay, fist pumped. "Right! But we're not gonna be slow! Let's go right after the Akatsuki!"

Sakura went off to prepare the antidote with the elder woman, Chiyo, and Naruto began stretching.

"As soon as Sakura's done with that, let's get going!"

"Naruto, hold on a bit." Kakashi said, turning towards Baki and raising a brow at the hawk on his shoulder that he was glaring at as it pecked at his forehead protector. "Um, excuse me, there is something I would like to ask. What came of the pursuit of the Akatsuki after that?"

"Kankuro went alone after them and then…" He trailed off and Kakashi gave him a look.

"And then?"

Baki sighed. "A bodyguard we asked from Konoha brought him here on the back of some animal. He took a piece of cloth from the Akatsuki member who attacked Kankuro and went off after him. He asked for me to send this bird to him when you need him to direct you there."

"He'll have found them by now." Kankuro said, sitting up weakly.

"Kankuro, are you okay?!" Temari asked, helping him sit up.

"Yeah. I'm feeling a bit better now…"

"Kankuro." Chiyo returned from helping Sakura and gave him a serious look. "Are you absolutely sure that one of the two you followed was Sasori?"

Kankuro was surprised. "Chiyo and Ebizou?"

"What about that, Kankuro?" Ebizou said, trying to keep him on task.

"Yeah… It was Sasori of the Red Sand… He said it himself and… Somehow that guy knew it too."

Kakashi spoke up then. "That guy?"

Kankuro nodded. "Yeah. He's the same guy who led Gaara, Temari, and I to Naruto and them, though he's changed a bit."

Kakashi immediately sweat dropped, a vision of the great king/general that the spiky haired man mentioned before shattering into that of Shi ridding some animal with a lazy wave. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, sorry to say this, but… he's not a guy."

All eyes went to Kakashi in question.

"Huh?"

"That was most likely Shi. And Shi's… well, a she."

Everyone in the room was in shock, though for various reasons, and Naruto suddenly began shouting.

"Shi's here?!"

Kakashi nodded. "Seems like it. Was she wearing a red scarf and tan traveling cloak over black clothes?"

Kankuro nodded. "Uh, yeah."

Kakashi glanced lazily over at Naruto. "See?" He then turned to Kankuro. "May we hear more about the Akatsuki? Please?"

Kankuro told them what he could about Sasori and Baki told them about Deidara, having sent the hawk off to get into contact with Shi. After that, Sakura gave Kankuro some last minute instructions and they all headed out, promising to bring Gaara back. As they waited at the gates though, they were surprised to see Temari.

"I'm going too."

"Temari, stay here and work on defense of the country border." Chiyo said, suddenly appearing on the gates. "From the shinobi of the sand, I am more than enough."

"But Chiyo!"

"That would be too much for you…" Baki said.

"Don't treat me like an old woman!" Chiyo shouted, jumping from the gates.

"She jumped!"

As she landed, Sakura and Naruto stepped back in shock whereas Kakashi just stared in disbelief.

"I've wanted to give my cute grandson some love for a while now." Chiyo said, just as she spotted something heading towards them. "Hm?"

The others turned to look and a hawk let out a cry above them, circling overhead them as the object approached them. Once there, the large animal stopped, rearing up and landing with a huff; the person on its back turning the animal sideways to give the surprised group an odd look. Lifting a hand, Shi waved.

"Yo."

Kakashi and the others couldn't get a word out, but Naruto, who had seen Shi and her horse before, hurried up and began shouting with a frown.

"Shi! Why didn't you tell me you were already here?! Did you find them?! Did you find Gaara?!"

Shi looked down at him with a raised brow. "Don't know. Did I?"

"Shi!" Naruto whined, as Shoji turned, snorting in Naruto's face. "Agh!"

Shi pat Shoji on the neck. "Don't do that, Shoji. It's rude."

Shoji scoffed. "Please. You were practically begging me to shut him up."

"It talks?!" Sakura shouted, still shocked obviously.

Shoji rolled his eyes as Kakashi seemed to connect the dots.

"A summon?"

Shi glanced up and nodded. "If you're done gawking, shouldn't we be going?"

They all nodded, but as Shi turned Shoji around she looked at Kakashi from over her shoulder.

"I would like to ask if you could use one of your summons to possibly keep watch for more possible back up."

Kakashi nodded, summoning Pakkun and explaining what Shi asked and sending him off. Once that was finished, Shi nodded her head towards the direction she came from as the hawk landed on her shoulder and she attached a message to its leg and sent it off.

"Follow me."


	8. Chapter 8

As we ran through the desert and forest, or in my case rode, I sensed a presence and halted just an instant before running over an Akatsuki member; Shoji rearing up and nearly crushing him before he jumped back.

"Stay back!" I shouted to the others behind me as they jumped onto the ground.

 _Itachi Uchiha. S-rank criminal and the one who hurt Kakashi and tried to attack Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke's brother and also a sharingan user. Extremely dangerous. Avoid eye contact._ I turned Shoji's reins to keep him from looking into Itachi's eyes and turned to the others.

"Kakashi, I need to scout ahead and make sure the trail's still fresh and that we're going the right direction and not on a false trail." I gave him a serious look. "Can you handle this? I will return as fast as I'm able."

He nodded. "We'll be fine."

I nodded as well and turned the reins, when he called out once more.

"Shi… Be careful."

I gave him a closed-eye grin and turned back around, leaning down and whispering to Shoji. "Shoji, close your eyes and don't look at him."

"You've got to be crazy." He muttered, already understanding what I was planning.

I smirked, patting the side of his neck. "Only sometimes…"

I put Shoji into a gallop, charging straight ahead at Itachi. I shut my eyes and drew my sword, Shoji putting chakra into his hooves to silence them, and I listened. I heard the quiet rustling of cloth and the sound of metal rubbing against it, and just managed to block Itachi's kunai and cut his cloak as he jumped to the side to dodge us. The moment he was behind us, Shoji and I opened our eyes and I grinned widely, sheathing my sword as I hurriedly began tracking the trail once more. _Hopefully we haven't been wasting our time. I was on the right scent before, but they could have noticed me and laid down a false one._ I sighed and after a while of tracking the scent, I found myself in the same place I was before and scowled.

"We're going in circles." Shoji said.

"I noticed." I rubbed the back of my head and turning him around. "Let's go back to the others. We were on the right trail, but they laid down a false scent with it. It started over where Itachi was, so if we go back, I should be able to pick up the right one."

Shoji sighed, obviously tired from our constant running around we've been doing and I pat his neck.

"We should be able to take a break in a bit. We just need to find the others and start down the right trail."

"Yeah, well… You better have some more of those apples in there."

I smiled. "I guess it's a good thing I grabbed some before I left, huh."

Shoji tossed his head with a whinny. "Alright! Let's get moving then!"

He went into a fast gallop and I chuckled a bit as we hurried on back to where Kakashi and the others were. Once we got there, though it hadn't been that long, Itachi was already down. _Though it's not Itachi in that crevice…_ I thought, catching the scent of an unknown person as Shoji and I came to a halt by them. Kakashi noticed me first and gave me a look.

"So?"

"We're on the right trail, but a second false one starts up here and leads off into the forest and had me going in circles. I can locate the right one now, however."

He nodded, pulling a hand through his hair as he looked over at the body.

"His objective was to delay and gather information about us. Those bastards have good jutsu indeed."

The elder woman, Chiyo, nodded. "Indeed. This was clearly stalling. There's no mistake about it. They've already started to extract the bijuu! Perhaps they wish to use the 'one-tail' Shukaku to make a new jinchuriki."

"There's no time then. We must hurry to save Gaara." Kakashi said, but there were other things on Sakura's mind.

"Jinchuriki?"

"Like I said," Chiyo began. "Since the bijuu have inconceivable power, every country wanted to use them for military affairs. A jinchuriki is, so to speak, something that exists to control that power."

I flinched, turning my head away to look out towards the forest in case of another enemy approaching and to distract myself, though it wasn't quite working. _Is that what I am? But the way the third Hokage said it… I can't be a jinchuriki. But this thing in me… Orochimaru put it there, so could it be something like the bijuu?_ Shoji turned his head, nudging my leg with his nose, silently trying to comfort me.

"But you said before that nobody at all could control that power."

"That is how it is, yes… But still, over time people have tried to control that power by sealing the bijuu in humans. By doing that, the overwhelming power of the bijuu is compressed and that power could be directed. And the ones who had bijuu sealed in them… that is to say people like Gaara…were called jinchuriki."

I swallowed thickly, hand touching my stomach as I continued to listen, silently.

"The feature of jinchuriki is that they resonate with the bijuu and can use inconceivable power. Including Gaara, in the history of the sand, three jinchuriki have appeared so far."

"The jinchuriki were used many times for war, weren't they?"

I gripped the reins harder, teeth grit tightly as memories of being with Orochimaru began replaying in my head.

" _Hn, hn. Yes, my little mutt. Soon. Soon, I can finally use you to get revenge on those bastards. And then… oh yes… and then we'll destroy all that's left. And no one will be able to stop us. Oh, but don't worry… You'll live. You have to, or else what weapon could I possibly use? Especially with the tailed beasts roaming about."_

"If the bijuu is extracted, that jinchuriki will die."

" _Only a few more tests, little mutt. Oh, they won't be that bad. Only extremely painful."_

 _The pain… it hurts… make it stop… I don't want any more tests… I don't want this thing inside of me… please… just let me die already…_

"Shi?"

A hand touched my leg and I jolted, eyes wide and panicked as I tugged on the reins hard, jostling a confused Shoji. Standing beside me was an equally surprised Kakashi, eyeing me cautiously.

"You alright?"

I nodded, lowering my arms and bowing my head, though my hands remained tight on the reins.

"I'm fine. We should be going though. Once we're down the right trail a bit, we can stop for a break."

I turned Shoji back towards the forest, trotting a bit to get ahead of the group before getting into a gallop once we entered the forest. The ride was a tense one, no one speaking as we hurried along and as the sun set, we went a bit further before pulling to a halt. I turned to the others as I turned Shoji around.

"We'll rest here and begin moving once more in the morning."

"Eh? We can't just stop, Shi! Gaara's still out there!" Naruto shouted as I climbed off Shoji and began removing his saddle.

"We must save our energy, Naruto… Rest is important."

He went to argue further, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"She's right, Naruto. We can't go through the night and expect to be able to battle when we reach Gaara."

Naruto frowned, but threw off his backpack, claiming to go find firewood to build a fire whereas I removed Shoji's bridle and brushed a hand along his face.

"Shi?" Kakashi called out.

I looked at him over my shoulder. "Hm?"

"You doing okay? You don't look like you've rested since you left."

I turned back to Shoji, reaching in my pouch and pulling out an apple, letting him eat from my hand.

"I haven't. I had maybe an hours rest when I left our village. I've been following the trail since then"

Kakashi nodded, coming closer and reaching out, allowing Shoji to sniff him before also running his hand along Shoji's face. "He's a strong looking summon. I wouldn't have expected you to have a horse, though it suits you."

Shoji seemed to smirk at the praise and I gave Kakashi a dull look.

"Don't encourage him. His ego's big enough."

Shoji snorted, butting me with his head and I let out a small chuckle, shoving him back before spotting the suspicious closed-eye grin Kakashi was giving me.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad you cheered up."

I lowered my gaze, turning my head back to Shoji, a hand brushing his neck. "I was… just remembering things better left forgotten."

"Ah." Kakashi said, before dropping the subject and looking at my pouch. "So what else do you have in there? Anything for the rest of us? Other than apples, I mean."

I gave him a smirk and dug through my bag and pulled out a scroll. Naruto caught sight of it and grinned, fist pumping.

"Alright! Good job, Shi!"

The others were very confused and turned to me in surprise as I gave a small grin.

I rolled out the scroll, removed one of my gloves and bit my thumb, glancing up at Naruto who stood in front of me with an eager look.

"You ready?"

He nodded. "Heck yeah!"

I grinned and placed both hands on the scroll, shoving one into the scroll, searching around for a moment before reaching deeper, everything up to my upper arm gone in the scroll. Everyone watched with eager eyes, when I suddenly smirked. _Got one!_ I pulled my arm out of the scroll and held up the squirming fish by its tail, shocking everyone but Naruto, who cheered and took it from me as I went to find another. Sakura took a step forward then, eyes wide in amazement.

"H-How'd you do that?!"

I was too focused on what I was doing to look at her, but answered.

"It's a water seal. I just wondered what would happen if I put fish in it and found out they continued to live somehow. Doesn't quite work with other animals yet though."

She paled at the thought as I pulled out another fish, handing it over to her, before reaching in again. Kakashi this time came over, kneeling down and looking at the scroll curiously.

"How does this work?"

"The water seal does exactly what one would think. Holds water. It's the same as a storage seal. Both lack oxygen, but water has oxygen in it, which is how the fish survive. Only issue is I need to dump the water every other week. More than three fish use up all the oxygen by that time and the water's not exactly clean either. It's harder than it looks though. I need to keep the seal closed to hold the water in, but open it enough for my hand." I said with a chuckle, pulling out another fish and handing it to Naruto now that he returned.

"Pervy-sennin taught Shi all kinds of things about seals! She's made all sorts!"

I nodded, digging for another fish. "Water seal, storage seal, endless sorted storage seal, and a food seal that hasn't done much other than postpone the expiration date by a week."

"That is some significant seal work you've done." Chiyo commented, as I grabbed a fish and handed it to Sakura.

"I had two months to do what I could on my own. You'd be surprised what you learn by comparing two seals." I said quietly, grabbing the last fish and rolling up my scroll, dropping it in my pouch and going to prepare my fish for cooking.

Once everyone had eaten I laid back against Shoji, who had laid on the ground by a tree, and rested my swords against my shoulder. I then pulled my tan traveling cloak off and draped it over me, using it as a blanket when Kakashi suddenly came over with a grin.

"May I join you?"

I raised a brow, glancing at Shoji who simply closed his eyes and turned away, so I turned back and nodded, scooting over to make room and handing him my cloak. He pushed it back and I pushed it forward.

"Take it."

He shook his head. "I'm fine. You need it more than I do."

I frowned and threw it at him instead, watching as he pulled it off of his head and I pulled out another cloak from my pouch. He sighed with a small smile and we both got comfortable, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"We're nearly there!" I called out over my shoulder as the others jumped on branches not far behind me. "There's a cliff up ahead and it's down below!"

I suddenly turned, sniffing the air before smirking and turning back to the others once more.

"Looks like we're not the only ones!"

Sure enough, when we reached the edge of the cliff, we saw Guy throw a hard punch into the rock sealing where the Akatsuki were, only for it to ripple.

"Uh, Shi? How are you going to get down there?" Naruto asked, pointing at Shoji. "Won't you both die or drown or something?"

Shoji glared at him and scoffed, while I gave Naruto a smirk and turned to face the cliff, laying low on Shoji's back as my smirk grew bigger.

"Hyah!" I shouted, charging Shoji towards the edge of the cliff, hearing Naruto freak out behind me.

"S-Shi! No wait! Don't jump!"

Shoji jumped off the cliff and easily landed on the water behind Guy and his team, pawing his hoof on the water with a smirk.

"That's a 'five seal barrier'." I said to Guy, who smiled as well, giving me a thumbs up.

"Quite the youthful entrance, Shi!"

I gave a mocking bow, Kakashi and the others landed behind me.

"I try. Though I apologize for being late."

"We ran into a bit of trouble on the way." Kakashi said, as Naruto ran to my side in a panic.

"Why'd you do that, Shi?! You really scared me!"

I raised a brow at him. "You shouldn't underestimate Shoji." I said, patting Shoji's neck as he let out a proud snort.

"Naruto! Sakura! Shi!" Lee shouted, and once everyone was reacquainted and Pakkun and Shoji were sent off, we got down to business.

"Right! First off, this barrier, eh, Shi? Kakashi?"

I nodded, allowing Kakashi to explain.

"This particular 'five seal barrier' is created by tokens with 'kin' written on them placed in five places in the vicinity. The 'kin' token you see in front of you, and the other tokens are in the four other places. To remove the barrier, all of them must be detached."

"So where are they? The other four?" Naruto asked, and just as Kakashi was about to ask Neji to use his byakugan, I interrupted.

"I already know where they are."

"What?!" Naruto shouted, making me wince and stick a finger in my ear. "Why didn't you take them off already?!"

" _Because_ , Naruto." I grumbled, not pleased about my ears being blown out. "If they were protected by a jutsu, I could be in for a lot of trouble. Not only that, but it could give me away to the Akatsuki inside and then I could be dead. I didn't do it _not_ because I didn't want to. But because if I let the Akatsuki know I was here, we could have lost Gaara. Understand?"

He frowned, but nodded, understanding my logic and where I was coming from and, feeling bad for the tone I took with him, I ruffled his hair.

"We'll save him, Naruto."

Kakashi cleared his throat, bringing me back on track.

"Right… There's one on a rock about 500 meters North-east of here. One on a tree trunk on a river bank 350 meters South-east of here. One on a wall 650 meters North-west of here, and one inside a grove about 800 meters South-west of here. Though I suggest Neji use his byakugan to guide you to each one. I am not confident in my directions." I said, looking away and rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.

"Alright!" Guy said, pulling out some radios from his pack. "If it's that range, we'll use these radios! While we're taking Neji's directions, we can keep in communication, and we'll find the locations of the tokens!"

Everyone in his team took a radio and he handed one to Kakashi and I, letting us put them on around our necks as he gave us a thumbs up.

"Speed-wise, my team is faster, minus Shi, of course. The frequency is 174. Wait for our message!"

"It's up to you." Kakashi said.

"Good luck." I replied as well.

"Team Guy! Let's go with the full power of youth! Scatter!"

They hurried off and Kakashi got in position on the large boulder to peel the seal away when the time was right.

"We'll break in with a button-hook entry." He said and we all got in position just as the confirmation came over the radio and he ripped it off. "Sakura!"

"Okay!" She shouted, slamming her fist into the boulder as Kakashi jumped off.

With the boulder in shambles, Kakashi gave us the signal and the five of us jumped into the hideout; Kakashi and Naruto on one side of the entrance, Sakura and Chiyo on the other, and me blocking the entrance. When we got there though, I felt my stomach clench tightly at the sight of Gaara lying underneath of Deidara as he sat on him and the only other Akatsuki in there being Sasori.

"Well then, which of you is the jinchuriki, I wonder, un."

Naruto, furious, shouted back at him. "You bastards! I'll smash you to pieces!"

"That one." Sasori said, making me slightly more cautious.

"Well, seems like it, un."

 _They know who he is, so he'll probably be the first they go after. The problem is, how are they going to do it? Both at once? One after him while the other attacks us? Either way though, Naruto's top priority. And with his emotions running high… I might have to stick with him._

"Gaara! What're you doing, sleeping there lazily?! Stand the hell up! Hey! Gaara, are you listening to me?!"

"Stop, Naruto." Kakashi said, eyeing him sadly. "You should understand…"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you get it? He's well dead, un."

"…Give him back…" Naruto said quietly and I immediately knew what he was going to do. "Give him back! You bastards!"

Naruto went to charge in, but Kakashi and I both jumped in front of him.

"Calm down, Naruto." I said. "They're Akatsuki. If you go rushing in, they'll kill you."

Naruto grit his teeth in anger, but didn't try to force his way through, as the two Akatsuki began to argue.

"I'll look after this one." Sasori said. "It seems like that jinchuriki wants to take this one back."

"Master, this'll probably make you angry, but I'll handle that jinchuriki, un."

 _Oh, don't tell me._ I thought, eyes giving the two enemies a disbelieving look.

"The assignment is one person to the beast. Don't push it, Deidara."

"If an artist doesn't get high levels of inspiration, his sentiments are dulled, master. It's said that the kyuubi jinchuriki is considerably strong, un."

"What? You call those explosions fine art? Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future. Eternal beauty."

"They involve the same skilled labor, I respect you, but fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion."

I sighed, dropping my head. _I was right. They're arguing._

"Stop playing around, bastards!" Naruto shouted, pulling out a scroll and summoning a fuuma shuriken which he threw at the two Akatsuki members.

I wasn't surprised when Sasori deflected it with his metal tail and they continued arguing, and even Kakashi was beginning to get annoyed by the enemy's fighting. We didn't have long to wait though, because Deidara's clay bird swallowed Gaara and Deidara barely escaped Sasori's tail before hopping on his bird and flying out of the entrance.

"Wait the hell up!" Naruto shouted, going to follow after him, Kakashi following with last minute instructions.

"Naruto and I will handle the one outside. Sakura, Chiyo, Shi. Take care of this one… but until Team Guy gets back, try not to overdo it."

"Got it!" Sakura shouted.

"Kakashi!" I called out, stopping him for a moment. "He's unstable. Don't hesitate to use the seal. That girly blonde does long range clay explosive attacks, but I don't know if he does close range as well, so watch it."

Kakashi nodded and hurried out after Naruto, while I kept my eyes on Sasori and moved over to where Sakura and Chiyo were. Sakura seemed to be panicking slightly, but I wasn't exactly completely calm either. _He uses poison and, while I have a resistance to most poisons, I don't know how many hits of his I can take, which means long-range attacks are my best option except most of mine are close-range. This is going to be difficult if I'm not careful._

"Sakura, don't be afraid. I'm here." Chiyo said, making me roll my eyes.

 _And I'm not?_ Chiyo then pulled out a good amount of kunai and threw them at Sasori, confusing me. _Why would she do that? He'll just block with his tail._ And when he did I wasn't too surprised, but him removing a good section of his cloak to reveal a large shell on his back had me slightly shocked. _This is new._

"If you plan to oppose me, then I've no choice. Why don't you three join my collection? Eh, Chiyo? First I'll drag out your entrails, then when I've ripped off your skin, I'll clean off all the blood…"

As Sasori went off on all the things he was going to do to dismember us, I began analyzing him as best I could in preparation for his attack. _That arm of his… I swear I've seen something like it before…_ I suddenly remembered something from when I was with Orochimaru, being forced to fight for my life in a room full of other experiments trying to kill me. _That's it! That arm has to be just like the other one I saw on one of the experiments. Which not only means that Sasori has had contact with Orochimaru, but that arm of his has cylinders of needles that can be used with air pressure to turn one into a pincushion._

"His real body is on the inside." I heard Chiyo said and frowned under my scarf.

 _Even better. We won't have access to his actual self to finish him off until we get him out of that puppet. Which means someone will need to get close enough to break that defensive shell on his back._

"Then what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"We need to break his shell." I said, catching their attention and Chiyo nodded.

"We have to get Sasori out of Hiruko if we want to be able to do anything. The most terrifying thing about puppets are the unpredictable 'traps', mechanisms that can launch attacks from anywhere."

I narrowed my eyes, scanning over the puppet for anything that might give away where these traps could come from. _With the cloak in the way, there's a ton of possibilities. Plus the fact that his mouth is covered, only proves that there's a trick in there. Plus that arm of his…_

"The shape's slightly different to the Hiruko I knew long ago." Chiyo said. "Firstly, that shell on his back wasn't there before. And that must have strengthened his defense. I've also never seen that left hand before. Furthermore, he might have redesigned his most important traps."

"What should we do?"

"I have a plan" I announced, surprising them both.

"But how?" Chiyo said. "I may know about some of his traps, but it's impossible to guess what traps he might have hidden."

I felt my lips twitch up in a smirk and narrowed my eyes at Sasori as I spoke to her.

"He has some sort of trap built into his mouth and that shield on his back is too thick for someone with average shinobi strength to break and that arm… I've seen it before."

"What?!"

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "I've had to fight someone who had that arm."

"Impossible…"

I glanced at Sakura, who seemed to be trying to connect the dots, but shifted my gaze back to Sasori.

"It shoots out metal cylinders and when they open, they release pressurized air, launching out needles. It's extremely difficult to dodge, but possible if you have enough agility."

Chiyo frowned. "Even if this is true, I definitely don't have the power needed to destroy the shell on Hiruko's back."

"And that's where Sakura comes in." I said, looking back at Sakura who was surprised, but determined. _Good. You've truly grown, Sakura._ "In order for you to destroy the shell, Sakura, you have to get close enough to hit him. Which means avoiding all the traps and their poison."

"Knowledge of traps, instant reaction… I don't have either of those."

"You don't." I said, smirking. "But I'm sure Chiyo does."

Chiyo reached up to her cap and removed it, untying the bun on her head. "What do I look like to you? Just a helpless old hag? Leave it to me. That's why I'm here. His battle experience pales compared to mine. Plus, the first move has already been made."

My smirk grew as I pulled off my traveling cloak and reached up to my scarf. "I thought that's what that smell was and it sounds like you've already figured out my plan."

"It's certainly clever." Chiyo said with a grin, before turning to Sakura. "Sakura, listen to me. Together, we will defeat him… Shi, was it?"

"Yup."

"I know my skills well, but will you be able to react in time?"

I pulled the scarf from around my neck, a wicked grin stretched across my face. "Don't underestimate me, grandma."

She scoffed. "This younger generation is getting cockier by the decade."

She then turned to Sakura and explained the plan and it wasn't long before we were ready to fight. Sakura shifted into a ready position as I crouched low to the ground, hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Alright. Let's go for it!" Sakura said.

"So you're finally ready? I'm sure you know, I don't like to be kept waiting." Sasori complained, reaching up to the cloth covering his face.

"Relax." Chiyo said. "We'll kill you quickly!"

The three of us charged right at him and, sure enough, the puppet opened its mouth and shot hundreds of weapons at us, which Chiyo and Sakura easily dodged along with me. It was then that the arm of the puppet was launched at us and that was when I went into action, quickly doing hand signs. _Lightning Blade_. Lightning cloaked my sword and I quickly charged at the arm, bringing the sword up and instantly slicing through it. I expected the backlash of the built up air pressure and allowed myself to be pushed back, but I landed on my feet just in time to see Chiyo stop Sasori's tail and Sakura slam her fist into the shell and shatter it to pieces. A black shape flew out of the body a bit further away and my nose twitched. _That's odd. He still smells like a puppet…_

"Of course…" Sasori spoke. "That's my grandmother. No wonder even that little girl would be able to avoid my traps. You saw all of my attacks but you used chakra threads from the puppet jutsu to control the little girl. Furthermore, you even cleverly put chakra threads on Hiruko's tail. Wasn't it when you attacked with the kunai at the beginning? The chakra threads attached to the kunai switched over to the tail when they hit. Though I didn't expect your friend to know about my arm."

I shrugged, coming up next to Chiyo and sheathing my sword. "Lucky guess."

Chiyo sighed, gazing at Sasori almost… _softly_. "Indeed. Even though I was suppressing the chakra as much as possible so it was invisible, you worked it out well."

Sasori grabbed the black cloth covering him. "Well, of course. Who was it who taught me to play with puppets? No one else but you."

"Yes… Well, we're done playing for today." Chiyo said, but looked shocked once Sasori's face was revealed.

"Well, do you really think it will be that easy, grandma Chiyo?"

I raised a brow as Sakura and Chiyo seemed to be frozen in shock. _He looks very young. From the information Jiraiya shared with me, he should look far older than this. And that puppet smell… It could just be because he was inside a puppet for so long, but… It's odd._ I grew tense then, as I saw Sasori pull out a scroll.

"I'll show you what I brought along. Killing him for my collection gave me a hard time indeed. That's why I like him the best."

There was a poof of smoke and the puppet that came out seemed to only surprise everyone even more.

"That is…Sandaime Kazekage." Chiyo breathed out and my own eyes widened a fraction.

 _No way. This only proves it further. Sasori was… had to be teamed up with Orochimaru while he was with the Akatsuki._ I felt my hands shake, though not in fear. No. I was _excited._

"Well, let us begin." Sasori said, crouching low with the puppet hovering over him.

I smirked as well. "Can't wait."

* * *

Sakura looked over at Chiyo in shock. "Sandaime Kazekage?… Then…" _It's been over ten years… since the Sandaime suddenly disappeared from the village._

"Sasori, you—"

"Mm, for a retired old woman near death, you're still quite good." Sasori commented.

"Even retired and near death, I'll still take action. I've too many regrets to die yet. My grandson. You've not only fallen to the level of a mere criminal, but you've betrayed your village and gone after the Kazekage three times!"

"Three times?" Sakura said, looking back at Chiyo, who nodded.

"It was Orochimaru who killed Yondaime Kazekage, Gaara's father, but it was this one who guided him. And this time with Gaara… Also, even the Sandaime…"

"Hey, hey. I don't know about Yondaime. It was my subordinate who guided him." Sasori corrected. "Indeed, I was originally partnered with Orochimaru in the Akatsuki, so we did many things."

"I thought so…" Shi said, catching everyone's attention as her smirk grew. "That arm was one of his experiments."

Sasori raised a brow, curious. "And how did you know about that?"

"Does it matter?"

Sasori tilted hit head to the side. "No. I suppose it doesn't… Well, let's get going."

Sasori launched the puppet forward and Chiyo pulled Sakura back, out of his range as multiple sets of blades appeared from his arm.

Shi went to help, but stopped upon seeing Hiruko's tail intercept the claws before they could hit Sakura. The tail broke apart and Sasori made the puppet's arm open up, launching out multiple arms, but all of them missed due to Chiyo's skills as her puppet master. Just then though, a cloud of smoke came from one of the arms and Shi cursed, as Chiyo shouted out orders.

"Sakura! Don't take a single breath!"

Chiyo's eyes went wide and Shi realized that she couldn't pull Sakura out and quickly hurried towards the cloud.

"S-Shi! What are you doing?!"

"Trust me, granny Chiyo." Shi said, running into the cloud and drawing her sword, cutting the ropes that had wrapped around Sakura.

Thing was, Sasori had launched more and, quickly taking action, Shi threw Sakura out of the cloud to Chiyo.

"Shi!"

Shi, caught by the kunai ropes, smirked and reached into her pouch, pulling out an exploding tag and activated it, blowing away the poison cloud and tossing her back, where she landed haphazardly on her feet. Breathing hard, she smirked at Sasori as Sakura began shouting at him.

"I'll get you! Even if you blow off my arms and legs, if I take in your poison and it paralyzes me, I'll get you! I swear it! No matter how much you resist, no matter what you do! I'll beat you half to death, and make you talk about Orochimaru! Got it?!"

Sasori launched more kunai in response, but Chiyo suddenly brought out two puppets, protecting Sakura and Shi from them.

"You think men stop to listen when a woman's talking."

"Idiots." Shi muttered.

"Ah, them…" Sasori said, commenting about the two puppets.

"Yes. The first puppets you constructed. Your father and mother."

Shi and Sakura shared surprised looks, but Sasori was unaffected.

"What is it you plan to do with those things? They're puppets I created. I know all of their secrets. This is pointless."

The two puppets joined hands and pulled away, revealing wires, which they used to cut through the multitude of hands and engage in a short battle with Sasori's puppet. The two of them easily managed to destroy the weapons he had pulled out, leaving Sakura in shock.

"A-Amazing…"

"This certainly has become awkward." Sasori said, dully. "Shall I get serious then?"

Shi tensed as the puppet's mouth opened and black sand appeared to pour out of its mouth.

"So that puppet uses the Sandaime's jutsu?"

"It's been a while, eh? Since this is the jutsu that made people see the Sandaime Kazekage as the strongest of them all. So I'm really gonna kill you now."

"What is it?" Sakura questioned.

"The most feared weapon in the sand, the iron sand." Chiyo said, catching Shi's attention. "Based on a previous Shukaku host's jutsu, Sandaime created this himself. It can be changed into any form and weapons to suit the situation can be created. Sandaime Kazekage was born with the ability to change chakra into magnetic force."

Shi's eyes widened, but narrowed as she began to smirk, a plan forming in her head.

"What does that mean?" Sakura asked. "Isn't that just a puppet? Why would an inanimate puppet have chakra?"

"No… It's a 'human puppet' created originally from a living body. Thus, it's made to contain the chakra from its previous life. No one but Sasori can create a 'human puppet'. And in that way he can use its jutsu from when it was alive. That is the greatest advantage of a 'human puppet'."

"That's not all. That's why it's my favorite from my collection."

"Sakura, Shi. Now you must leave here! I will handle it alone from here."

"What?!" Sakura shouted as Shi raised a brow.

"This is far beyond what I had thought. Now that that's come out, you can't do anything!"

Shi smirked. "You're underestimating me again, granny Chiyo."

Chiyo went to get angry at Shi, but Sasori was already launching his puppet and millions of iron sand pellets towards them.

"Too slow!"

One puppet grabbed Sakura and carried her out of danger and the other put up a chakra shield to protect Chiyo, but Shi was out in the open and when the dust settled, even Sasori was surprised.

"You…"

Shi stood there with a devilish grin, a wire full of kunai in her hands, each kunai covered in black iron sand particles.

"Shi, you…"

Shi turned to Chiyo with a grin. "I told you, granny. I'm better than you think."

Sasori had a miniscule frown on his face. "You know how to use magnetic chakra."

Shi gave him a look and shook her head. "No. I just mixed chakra natures. Lightning and air create a magnetic ability."

Sasori turned to Chiyo then. "You've been changing them, I see. Even a chakra shield. You've upgraded them since I played with them, it seems."

Chiyo's puppet closed its arms and Shi gave it a glance as it began to shake.

"Kuku, that jutsu is unblockable. You know well that you have to avoid it, but you were just concerned with getting the little girl away, eh?"

"Can't be unblockable." Shi said with a frown. "I just blocked it."

Sasori ignored her. "I've worked the iron sand through all of that puppet's body. As long as I have Sandaime's magnetic force, it's useless. Well, now I'll aim for all of you at the same time. And so I'm sure I've killed you, I'll make it into a truly lethal shape."

The black sand gathered above all three of them in long spear shapes and Shi rolled her eyes, pulling more wire from her pouch and letting out a slow breath as she began spinning the wire and kunai above her.

"With one puppet, there's no way you can all be blocked! What now, old woman?!"

The sand spears were launched towards them and even sped up with air pressure from the puppet, but Shi let go of one end of the wire, extending it so that it created a large circle above her and Sakura. Unfortunately, it was only able to gather up some sand and sand spears came up out of the ground, very nearly slicing into Shi. Sakura though was protected from them by the puppet Chiyo sent and Chiyo herself was protected by a shield she created with her puppet right arm.

"Your own arm…You've rigged your own body. We puppeteers, we definitely think along the same lines."

"Yes, that may be so." Chiyo said, arm shaking.

"And you." Sasori turned to Shi, who was glaring at him as she got up from off the ground. "You have good reflexes to dodge those and while your ability to use magnetic fields may be strong, there's always a backlash to using it."

Shi nodded. "It attracts everything metal. Including the sand you hid below me."

Chiyo tried to move her arm, but it wouldn't work, as well as the puppet protecting Sakura.

"The iron sand has made its way through, so it's finished. Plus, your puppets are useless. What now? A puppeteer without a puppet is just a regular person, eh? Ku ku."

More black sand poured out of the puppet's mouth, forming a large triangle and block, which even Shi knew she couldn't block.

"Even for someone like me, the situation seems hopeless. Sakura, Shi, you must get away!"

 _What I can do now… is…_ Sakura grit her teeth, afraid, but wanting to be strong. She made her decision then and stood before Chiyo.

"Chiyo, please use me!" _What I can do now, is fight as Chiyo's puppet._

"I am the only one-armed now. I cannot support you as much as before."

"That's fine!" Sakura said. "I may not have amazing weapons in me like a puppet, but what I do have is my master's contempt for losing!"

Shi stepped forward as well. "Granny Chiyo, you may not be able to use me as a puppet, but I will provide you and Sakura with as much back up as I can."

Chiyo glanced at Shi, who gave a cheesy closed-eye grin in return. _Tsunade… you seemed to have found some good kids._ Chiyo attached her chakra strings to Sakura.

"Sandaime's ability is magnetic force! So iron and steel weapons are ineffective."

"Perfect! What I also got from my master were unarmed combat skills!" Sakura said, punching her fist into her palm.

"While I use mostly weapons," Shi said, drawing her sword. "I can at least block what comes after us with my own magnetic force."

"This again? Useless." Sasori said, as they charged.

He sent the triangle at them, enhancing its speed with air pressure and slamming the point into the ground as they dodged. Expecting this, he went to drop the block on Sakura and Shi, but they both dodged, Sakura using the chance to slam her fist into the block and send it speeding back into the cave wall.

"We're not done yet!" She yelled.

She continued to dodge the flying shapes and punch them into walls of the cave, Shi blocking any smaller weapons he tried to throw at them, and it wasn't long before the whole top of the cave collapsed. Sakura was panting hard, as was Shi, but they both still had plenty of fight in them and Chiyo was even shocked at how they were both handling this. _This is some girl. In this small amount of time, she's already beginning to see through Sasori's attack pattern. So that even without my assistance, she can do it. A girl like this… Tsunade, you have a good apprentice indeed. And this one…_ Chiyo glanced at Shi, who was smirking even now. _She's impressed me quite a bit as well. Her knowledge of chakra natures and seals is impressive. And her ability to observe and come up with on the spot battle strategies is on par with that of a tactics expert. She, too, is a force to be reckoned with._

Just then, Sasori had the triangle run into the block and they split up into large branches of iron sand which immediately slammed into the ground. Once the dust settled, Chiyo called out in worry.

"Sakura! Shi! Are you alright?!"

Shi stood before Sakura, blood dripping onto the broken up ground, and she gave Sakura a fake smile.

"S-Sorry, Sakura… I blocked all I could…"

Both Shi and Sakura swayed and fell to the ground, Chiyo's eyes wide in shock as she realized that Sasori had put poison in the iron sand.

"Kuku, the poison's effective. The body instantly becomes numb and immobile. If left alone, they have three days, but that's not what I plan to do." Sasori said, making his puppet fly towards them both, a blade coming from his arm.

Chiyo tried to move, but the rocks had her arm pinned, and was helpless to watch as the puppet flew at the two downed shinobi. Just as the puppet reached Sakura and Shi though, Sakura stood and punched it, destroying the puppet and collapsing the iron sand structure. She then hurried over to Chiyo and moved the rock.

"Sakura… you…"

Sakura held out her hand, revealing a small needle vial. "An antidote. There's one left now. I will give it to you."

"When did…"

"When I was making the antidote for Kankuro, I was only able to make three. Because I knew the opponent used poison, I made them into injection form and brought them along." Sakura explained. "But the antidote only works for three minutes. In that time, no matter how much poison we get, the effects of the antidote will turn it into harmless protein." Sakura then began healing Chiyo's arm. "Sasori didn't know about this antidote. I was waiting for him to use his final skill, then he would be unprepared. That was my chance. So I couldn't use it until the very last moment. So now the poison won't affect me for three minutes. It must be decided in these three minutes!"

"…But Shi…"

Sakura's face fell. "She told me… before we even got here that if she should be poisoned to leave her… I don't know why, but…"

Just then, they heard a groan and Shi's head poked out from the pool of iron sand, a hand rubbing her head as she winced.

"Kami, who knew rocks could hurt so much."

"S-Shi!"

Shi turned and chuckled nervously when she saw Chiyo and Sakura's shocked face.

"Y-Yo."

Sakura immediately grew angry. "You idiot! Why didn't you say anything?!"

Shi got up and brushed the sand off her, wincing even further when her hand brushed a rather large wound in her side, alerting Sakura and Chiyo.

"Y-You're hurt, but… how are you not…"

Shi came over and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, you remember how I told you I was Orochimaru's experiment?"

"You mean…" Sakura's face fell as Shi gave her another nervous smile.

"I'm kind of immune to nearly all poisons."

"You…" Chiyo said, catching their attention. "You're one of Orochimaru's experiments?"

Shi nodded. "I apologize for not saying anything, but the element of surprise was essential."

She nodded and turned to Sakura, who was still healing her arm. "Sakura, my left hand is fine now."

Sakura dropped her arm and sat there panting, when Shi came over and had her own hand glowing on some of Sakura's wounds.

"Shi, what are you doing? I'm fine."

Shi just gave her a closed-eye grin and continued, earning a sigh from Sakura. Once Shi had finished, they both stood.

"There's no time to waste. Can you move now, Chiyo?" Sakura said.

Chiyo nodded and stood as well, tucking the antidote away. "Let's go, Sakura, Shi."

Sakura slipped her glove back on. "Okay.

"Osu." Shi replied with a yawn.

It was then though, that Sasori began removing his cloak, revealing something surprising.

"Since the trouble I had getting into the Akatsuki… I wonder when it was…"

"What…What is—"

"Since he separated from me, he has not aged. He is just like long ago. That is why."

Standing before them, Sasori stood, a puppet with blades coming out of his back and a long cord with a spike on the end rolled up in his abdomen.

Shi tilted her head to the side. "I thought it was odd he still smelled like a puppet."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "And you didn't think about telling us?!"

Shi gave her a look. "I didn't think it was important."

Sasori, tired of waiting, had two pipes come out of his palms and proceeded to try and burn the three of them, only for them to hide behind rocks and continue arguing.

"It's important when we could've died!"

"But we didn't."

Chiyo sweat dropped. "Is now really the time to be arguing?"

The fire soon stopped, but they didn't expect Sasori to launch his spike cord into Sakura's side, alerting Shi, who spotted him heading right towards Chiyo.

"Shi!" Sakura shouted, and Shi nodded.

As Sakura began pulling the cord, Shi gathered up her chakra, a grey cloak overtaking her from as her canines grew larger and a deep growl came from her throat. Smoke covered where she was at and as soon as Sakura pulled Sasori towards them, a huge grey beast jumped over her and grabbed Sasori in its jaws, snapping it to pieces. Shi shook her large head, tossing Sasori behind them and gave Sakura a grin.

"Haha, we did it… Chiyo, we did it!"

"Sakura, Shi… you…"

A clicking sound came from behind them and Shi immediately grabbed Sakura in her mouth, jumping back to where Chiyo was and putting her down as Sasori put himself back together. Chiyo too, called her arm back and pulled out a scroll.

"This is a jutsu I forbade myself… I thought I'd never use it again, but it seems that wasn't to be."

She rolled out the scroll and ten puppets appeared around her, but Sasori wasn't too impressed.

"They say that the strength of a puppeteer is measured by the amount of puppets they use."

"So many… amazing." Sakura murmured.

"Chiyo's great technique, 'finger by finger'. I've heard rumors of it. It's a mechanism that is said to have taken down an entire castle. Shiro Higi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shuu. The very first user of Kugutsu no jutsu, Enzaemon's ten masterpieces." A scroll popped out of his back and he threw it up, opening his chest cavity. "That is a considerable amount of puppets, but…"

Suddenly, hundreds of black cloaked puppets came out of his scroll.

"With this, I took down a country." He then dropped his head into a hand. "How'll I explain this… How long it took me to take down a little girl, a mutt, and an old hag… that I even had to take out my last trick. Aka Higi: Hyakki no Souen. I will show you this power."

"Sakura." Chiyo said. "The antidote has already worn off you… do not do anything."

Sakura looked back, but smiled. "You already know, don't you? My character?"

"Indeed. You got your personality from Tsunade too. But this will be the final act. Are you prepared?"

"Yes."

" _ **Still here."**_ Shi chimed in, giving them a look, to which they chuckled.

"Of course. Couldn't forget you, you brat." Chiyo chimed in and Shi rolled her eyes, facing forward.

" _ **Sakura, let me know when the poison starts working. I'll help you out."**_

Sakura gave a small smile. "Alright Shi… and thanks."

"They're coming!" Chiyo announced and all Sasori's puppets attacked.

As puppet after puppet was taken down, Chiyo was cut in the side, but she brushed off the pain as Shi moved closer to her to attack incoming enemies. Shi wasn't exactly in the best of shape either, being so large, she was easier to hit and had already taken numerous hits, but the number she was taking down counter-balanced that.

"Sakura, go for Sasori. I will handle the rest."

"Okay!"

"Use that!"

One of the puppets spit out a ball and Sakura threw it and it turned into a large head, grabbing Sasori in its jaws and pinning him to the wall.

"We did it." Sakura panted.

"You cannot move… it is over, Sasori. That sealing jutsu completely suppresses all chakra. You can't even use a chakra thread." Chiyo said, before falling to her knees.

"Chiyo! Hurry, take the antidote!"

Suddenly, a puppet began moving and Shi and Sakura quickly hurried over to keep it from piercing Chiyo. Unfortunately though, before Shi could get there, a group of puppets rose up, spearing her underbelly the same instant Sasori's sword stabbed through Sakura.

" _ **Sakura!"**_ Shi shouted, blood dripping from her muzzle as she ripped puppets off of her and stumbling made her way over.

"Hurry… Take the antidote… Chiyo." Sakura said, surprising them all.

"Oh-ho. Worrying about others even with an injury like this? What a girl." Sasori said, pushing the sword deeper and pulling it out a bit as well. "It seems the poison is having its effect. This blade is also of course, a poisoned blade."

" _ **Sakura!"**_ Shi shouted once more, when Chiyo reached over, stabbing the antidote into Sakura's leg.

Sasori went to pull back, but Sakura held fast to his sword, holding him in place.

"Not so fast."

Chiyo started to move and in that instant, Sasori pulled his elbow joint out to reveal another sword, but before he could attack anyone, Shi grabbed him by his ankles in her mouth and Chiyo used that opportunity to have her puppets stab him in the chest in the only part he could bleed. Seeing this, Shi growled before dropping him onto a rock where a seal was in place.

"Now you cannot move… I am certain…" Chiyo said. "It doesn't matter whether you have a puppet body… A part of you real body is still needed to control chakra. That's your weak point. And… from that skinned body of yours, just the left part of your chest was left intact… A puppet body, after all, is just a regular puppet… Your real body is that chest part that uses chakra."

Sakura collapsed then and Shi changed back, cringing and falling to her knees as she approached Sakura. Chiyo as well went over and began healing her, pulling out the sword.

"It's pointless. I hit a vital spot." Sasori said. "Even without poison, she'll be dead soon enough. There's too much blood loss. Since you're a medical ninja too, I aimed for somewhere that can't be treated easily."

"Sakura…" Shi breathed out, a glowing hand on her stomach where her own wounds were.

"Hm… I have already stopped medical treatment. What I am doing now is not medical ninjutsu. I am giving my own life energy. A tensei ninjutsu."

"Granny Chiyo…"

"In the beginning, it was for you." Chiyo told Sasori. "I alone spent many years working out this jutsu for you. With this jutsu, I can give even life to a puppet… in exchange for using up the user's life… but now it is already a dream that cannot be realized."

Shi came over to Chiyo and held out a hand, covered in blood. "Can my blood help? I am immune so…"

Chiyo gave her a look and nodded, placing a glowing green hand on hers. "I need to make it less potent, but it should at least lessen the poison's effects."

"For you too, granny Chiyo."

Shi gave her a small grin, allowing Chiyo to siphon off her blood and give it to Sakura and herself, but she had been losing blood at a fast rate already and was soon forced to stop as she grew paler and her breathing grew more ragged.

"Pathetic." Sasori said, causing Shi to turn to him and growl lowly. "When did you start getting senile, grandma?"

Sakura shook and was able to sit up on her elbows, causing Shi to sigh quietly in relief.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

"Yes…"

"Hm? That's odd." Sasori said, drawing attention to him once more. "From that tensei ninjutsu, doesn't the jutsu user die from giving up their life to a dead person?"

"Sakura received a fatal wound, but she didn't die. So I… also came to this level."

"Well, that's a pity."

Sakura suddenly got up and punched Sasori across the face.

"Give it up. This body feels no pain. If all you do is hit me, your fist is all that will hurt." He said. "Women like to do useless things, don't they, kuku. Even connected by blood tied as we are, I won't feel a thing if grandma here dies. My heart… is just like my body. Of all the hundreds and thousands I've killed so far. She's just another one of them. It's that simple."

Shi then got up and punched him, teeth grit even as her knuckles bled from the hit.

"What do you think a human life is?!" She shouted. "Do you know what living is like?! What do you think blood ties are?! Just something you can throw away?!"

"Hey, are those the words of a shinobi?"

Shi growled angrily, grabbing his cloak and getting in his face. "If you didn't care for those things, then why make puppets of your mother and father, you bastard."

"That's enough, Shi. What made him this way is the terrible customs and teachings of the sand." Chiyo said, and Shi reluctantly backed off.

"Want to try becoming like this too? If you do, then you'll probably get what I'm saying. An undecaying body… A puppet body can be rebuilt over and over, unfettered by a mortal lifespan. I can just make as many people as I want out of puppets if I want them. I don't just add for the sake of numbers. Collections are about quality."

"What the hell are you…" Sakura asked, glaring.

"If I must say, maybe a person who couldn't become a puppet. I am a puppet, but an incomplete puppet with the 'core' of my real body. Not human… not puppet… I won't be able to move for much longer. Before that, I'll do something pointless for you. A… reward for defeating me."

The group gave him odd looks, questioning his suspicious actions.

"You wanted to know about Orochimaru, didn't you? Go to the Tenchi bridge in the Grass village, at noon, ten days from now."

"You…" Shi said, eyes narrowed. "That experiment was yours, wasn't it."

Sasori smirked slightly. "I have a spy in Orochimaru's subordinates. I am supposed to meet with him there."

Sasori fell then, along with the other puppets and Sakura gave her a small smile.

"You did it, Chiyo… Incredible…"

"No. The one who really should have been defeated… was me… Sasori saw our last attack…but… somehow, he couldn't avoid it. It gave him a small opening…"

"Then…"

Chiyo didn't answer Sakura, just gave a small smile, before grunting, doubling over slightly.

"Chiyo!"

"Granny Chiyo!"

Shi came over and helped her up, picking her up and placing her on her back with a wince.

"Quickly, let's go back to the village!" Sakura said. "I'll make a new antidote right away—"

"No."

"But why?! We've done what we had to do! If we don't get back and make an antidote—"

"More importantly… there is still… something I must… do."

* * *

"Shi, can you bring us to the others?" Chiyo asked and I nodded, adjusting her on my back before heading outside and taking a big sniff of air.

I turned to Sakura then. "Follow me."

It took a while, Kakashi and them having gotten out of range of even the radios, but we eventually caught up and landed on the ground with a soft 'thump."

"Finally caught up." Sakura said as I let Chiyo off my back.

"You found this place well." Kakashi commented, eyeing me and my stomach, where my wounds had reopened and started bleeding again. "Though it seems Shi got herself into trouble again."

I rolled my eyes. "And you didn't?"

He chuckled slightly, and I frowned as I noticed how exhausted he looked. _And his sharingan is out too. Seems Deidara was a tough one._ I sighed and pulled back out my scarf, wrapping it around my neck and soaking in the comfort it always provided me.

"Sakura, Shi… the three of you did it."

"Yes." Chiyo said. "More importantly, what of Gaara?"

Naruto's gaze went to a couple of clones who held Gaara and Chiyo nodded.

"Alright."

It was then though, that I picked up a few scents and turned my head towards where not only Deidara was at, but Team Guy as well. The group began fighting, but when Deidara reached his fallen clay bird, my eyes widened.

"Watch it, you guys! He does long-range explosives!"

I spotted Deidara eating some of the clay and when I saw him puffing up like a balloon, I knew what was about to happen. _We won't get away in time…_ Neji figured out what was about to happen and I began pumping chakra into my system just as team Guy met up with everyone. _Come on, come on!_ I transformed, gathering everyone up in front of me and having laced my body with water before I changed, covered everyone as the explosion went off. I felt the fire licking at my fur, the water preventing most of it from actually burning, though not all of it, and once the explosion finished, I stood up once more and changed back, immediately collapsing as my energy ran out and my legs could hold me up no longer.

"Shi!"

Naruto hurried over and kept me from hitting the ground, and I panted, hissing at the pain on my back where I had been badly burned; that portion of my shirt having been scorched off as well.

"Are you alright, Shi?" Naruto asked, but I gave him a thumbs up.

"I'm alright, but is everyone safe?"

I glanced around and relaxed a bit, just as the two Naruto clones carrying Gaara landed with worried looks. Naruto took Gaara from the clones, Guy helped Kakashi, Sakura helped Chiyo, and Lee helped me, and we all headed out to a field not far from here to see what we could do about Gaara. Kakashi and I were set down, Gaara laid on the grass not far from us and Sakura checked him over with a sorrowful look.

"Sakura…"

Sakura shook her head, announcing it to us all. Gaara was dead and there was nothing we could do. Tears slipped down Naruto's face as he shook, hands clenched at his sides.

"Why… was Gaara… always Gaara… To die like this… He's the Kazekage… He didn't just become Kazekage…"

"Relax, Naruto Uzumaki." Chiyo said.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, rounding on her. "If you shinobi of the sand hadn't put a monster in Gaara, then nothing like this would've happened! Did any of you even try to ask Gaara how he felt?! What is this jinchuriki anyway?! You just arrogantly made up that word to call them!"

Naruto began to sob as I too felt tears run down my face, every word he said cutting into my core. _If they hadn't done this… If Orochimaru hadn't done this to me… No one ever asked me… I was forced… tortured with experiments… and this_ beast _… I might as well be a jinchuriki… I didn't want this thing in me. I didn't want to be used as a weapon for Konoha. Hell, I still question why I'm here sometimes… and Gaara… he's so similar to me, it's almost scary._ I felt a hand on mine and fisted my hand in the grass, knowing that it was Kakashi's.

"I couldn't save Sasuke… and I couldn't save Gaara…" Naruto cried. "For three years… I trained desperately, but nothing's changed since three years ago, has it…"

Suddenly, Chiyo stood up and walked over to Gaara, catching everyone's attention as she placed her hands on him.

"Chiyo… that jutsu is—"

My eyes widened as I realized what she was doing. _She's going to give up her life to save him… this is what she meant by saying there was still something she had to do._ As Chiyo was doing this, I noticed that the glowing around her hands fluctuated and stood up, stumbling my way over and standing next to Naruto as we both said the same thing.

"Please use our chakra."

"Old lady, can you do that?" Naruto asked, kneeling down as I did as well.

"Please, Granny Chiyo." I begged. _Please let me help him._

"Put your hands on top of mine."

Naruto and I did so, and Chiyo began to speak.

"I am glad that someone like you two appeared in this world of shinobi that we old people created. In the past, everything I did was mistaken, but at the very end, it seems I am able to do the right thing. Sand… and Konoha… Their futures are differing from our past… What Kakashi said, Naruto, your mysterious power. That power may change the future. Become a Hokage unlike any before… And Sakura, do not risk your life for an old hag next time. Save that which is important to you. You are a lot like me. There are not many women with chivalrous spirits matching those of men. You may become a kunoichi surpassing your own master. And you, you brat."

I winced, looking at Chiyo cautiously, but she just gave me a soft smile.

"You shouldn't be so willing to lose your life protecting others. Don't forget those who you would end up leaving behind. They care for you too and all that pain you've been put through… put it to good use. Try _living_ for once in your life."

"Granny Chiyo…"

"And stop calling me that." She said with a frown. "I'm still young, you know."

I let out a short chuckle, giving her a small smile as I lowered my head, more tears threatening to fall because I knew what she was doing. She was dying.

"Naruto, Shi, a request from an old hag. You two are the only ones who can know Gaara's pain. Gaara also knows your pain. Help Gaara out."

Naruto and I closed our eyes and I felt as though I was suddenly somewhere else, surrounded by those people who cared for me and who I cared for. But someone was missing and the little Naruto next to me tugged my pants leg and pointed behind us. The two of us hurried and ran, before finding another little boy with red hair curled up on the ground crying. Naruto went over and grabbed his shoulder and I knelt beside him as well, pulling down my scarf and giving him a small soft grin.

"Gaara…" Naruto said, our eyes open now and the real Gaara sitting up before us, surrounded by the shinobi of Sunagakure. "Everyone came running to save you."

"Aren't you lucky?" I said, pulling back up my scarf as I sat on my backside, too tired to crouch any longer.

"Hey, you put us through a lot…" Naruto said, Kankuro coming up with a nod.

"For sure. You're a little brother I always have to worry about, eh?"

I gave him a deadpan look. "Says the guy I had to save."

"Oi! I would've been fine!"

I raised a brow and he grew angrier with me, going to shout something, but Temari came over and interrupted.

"Hey, don't go getting all complacent! Gaara's still the Kazekage, so don't be so cheeky! You underlings!"

Naruto joined the two of us in sweatdropping and Temari pushed him aside, getting close to Gaara.

"Gaara, how are you feeling?"

Gaara tried to stand, but he didn't quite have enough energy for that yet.

"You shouldn't be in such a hurry to move. Your body's not back to full health yet."

I heard a bunch of women behind us getting all excited about Gaara and leaned over just in time to dodge them as they hurried forward to surround Gaara.

"Yeah, I guess I'm still just a genin." Naruto grumbled.

"Don't feel bad. Women are always weak at the knees for the elite cool types." Kankuro said, trying to comfort Naruto.

"Well, I remember Shikamaru saying something like that too. What about you, Shi? Aren't you still a chunin?"

I shook my head. "I got promoted. Jiraiya recommended it."

"Eh?! That jerk asked for you to get promoted but not me?!"

"Seems so." I shrugged, forcing myself to stand and managing to make it to where Kakashi was, before collapsing on the grass once more.

He was nice enough to let me lean against him (and by nice I mean he put an arm around my shoulder and forced me to with a smirk) and I struggled to stay conscious as exhaustion, blood loss, chakra loss, and my lack of rest caught up to me. I could still hear that people were talking, but I couldn't make out the words anymore and as much as my back was radiating a burning pain, it was far too easy to ignore it and before long, I had slipped away, into that inky darkness that I was so familiar with now.

* * *

The day came where we were supposed to leave and, as much as I was against it, I had Shoji out and Kakashi was sitting in front of me thanks to his chakra exhaustion and my own injuries. _If he smirks at me any more, I'm going to push him off._ I thought, eyebrow twitching slightly as we walked, having said goodbye to Gaara.

"Oh? What's with that grumpy face, Shi?" Kakashi asked, and I frowned.

"That's it." I said, letting go of Shoji's reins and shoving Kakashi off him, and into the sand below while I glared at him from atop Shoji, saddle and reins disappearing with a poof of smoke as I grabbed a hold of his mane. "You're annoying."

Kakashi sweat dropped, reaching up a hand from his place in the sand. "S-Shi—"

"Hyah!" I shouted, putting Shoji into a gallop to get ahead of the group before slowing down, the others talking quietly behind me as Guy picked Kakashi up.

"Wow, Shi's in a bad mood, huh?"

"No kidding. I wonder what Kakashi-sensei did to piss her off."

Shoji turned his head to them and they went quiet, him letting out a snort and turning back. It wasn't long though, when I heard Tenten complain about Guy and Kakashi walking too slow in the back.

"Both of you senseis are so slow!"

"Eh, sorry, Guy. Because I used the sharingan, my body won't move and I made Shi angry so I doubt she'll let me back on her horse anytime soon."

"You bet." I called out from the front, earning sweatdrops from everyone listening.

"Right!" Guy suddenly shouted, and I turned back to find guy with Kakashi on his back and his backpack on his front.

 _That's just… wrong._ I thought, earning a sweatdrop of my own before turning around and ignoring them.

"This way, I'll be faster! Ahahaha! Think any of you can keep up with me?!" He shouted, speeding off ahead.

I rolled my eyes and glanced back when I heard Lee.

"Neji…"

He too had put his pack onto his front and was bent over trying to get Neji to climb on his back.

"Absolutely not!"

I smirked a bit at them and shook my head, patting Shoji's neck and leaning over to whisper into his ear.

"Wanna have some fun?"

"What kind of fun?" He asked, curious.

"I'll give you five apples and five carrots if you race Guy and Kakashi and win."

Shoji smirked, tossing his head. "You underestimate me, Shi."

I smirked and gave the others behind us a wave. "Later~"

"Huh?" They all said as Shoji reared up and we dashed off to race Guy, who was more than up for the challenge.

Needless to say, Shoji and I won, leaving Guy so thoroughly exhausted that I had to call out a second horse (a work horse named Renji) to carry them both back to the village, thoroughly embarrassing them both. _And who's to say I didn't get anything out of this?_


	9. Chapter 9

Kakashi woke up, recognizing the familiar white of a hospital room and sighed quietly.

"Ah, here again…"

He turned his head and began searching the room for his Icha Icha book, but he noticed a familiar red head resting on the side of his bed. He reached a hand up to his face, realizing that he wasn't wearing his masked shirt, and mentally panicked. _Did she see?_ He somehow managed to sit up, though his body was still very weak and he grabbed his shirt from off the bedside table, quickly putting it on and narrowing his eyes at Shi, who was sleeping peacefully with her head on her arms. _She_ had _to have seen it._

Kakashi let out a soft sigh, a dark cloud hanging over his head, but as he glanced over at her, he couldn't help but smile slightly. Her scarf was hanging loosely around her neck, not so much hiding her face, but more there just for comfort. Her mouth was open slightly, just allowing one to see a sharp canine poking out, and her face was actually peaceful. _Seems even she can look at peace every once in a while. Those two and a half years were good for her._ He reached a hand out, but hesitated, his hand hovering over her head. _Should I really be doing this? Growing more attached to her can prove to be dangerous… for the both of us. My reputation as the Copy Cat Ninja could put her in danger and when people discover about her origins… I could lose her. Something like a relationship between us could prove more trouble than it's worth._

Kakashi pulled his hand back, but he had a deep ache in his chest just imagining what could happen. _It's impossible, Kakashi. Get that in your head, a relationship between ninja is always a bad idea and you probably couldn't handle a long term one anyway._ Kakashi frowned slightly, but his hand had other ideas and slowly crept over to Shi, twirling a strand of her hair between his fingers. _But I must admit that I care for her and she makes me worry sometimes._ He let out a short chuckle. _Okay, she makes me worry a lot, but maybe that's what I need. Someone to worry about and someone who worries about me. But a relationship between us may not happen for a while… She's still pretty clueless about my advances._ Kakashi gave the sleeping Shi a small smile, when he sensed someone coming and quickly snatched his book from off the bedside table, putting on his usual bored expression and pretending nothing had happen, despite the fact that something did. Needless to say, he wasn't surprised when Sakura entered and fell for the act, her eyes going to Shi as she sighed.

"I should've guessed she was here." She grumbled, glancing at Kakashi, who just glanced at her over his book. "How are you doing, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Fine. Do you need Shi for something?"

Sakura nodded. "The Hokage wants her for a mission."

"Another one?" _She's been going on missions back and forth since she came back. I wonder what's going on._

"Yeah. I kind of feel bad for her. She's been sleeping since yesterday when she brought you and Guy here. Tsunade convinced the nurses to let her stay with you, saying something about how she'll need all the rest she can get before her next mission."

"Hm. Sounds like it's important."

Sakura slowly nodded, eyes narrowed at Kakashi in suspicion. "You weren't… doing anything, were you?"

 _She's smart…_ "Hm? What do you mean?"

She slowly began to smile, an evil, mischievous grin. "You _were_ doing something."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sakura." Kakashi said, glancing back down at his book, calm, but mind in chaos. _She's far too observant for her own good and she's been plotting things for a while now. Her convincing Naruto not to go with us the other day to get Shi a shirt was definitely a part of this._

"Uh-huh. Sure." Sakura said, moving to Shi and shaking her shoulder. "Shi, you need to get up. Tsunade wants to speak with you."

Shi's face scrunched up into a frown, before she lifted her head, glaring sleepily at Sakura who just gave her a look.

"I was sleeping."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And now you're not. Come on, Shi. She _is_ the Hokage."

Shi's frown deepened as she got up, stretching with a wide, open-mouthed yawn; revealing just how pointy those canines of hers were. As she scratched her head, she opened an eye and spotted Kakashi, who gave her a closed-eye grin.

"Have fun, Shi."

Shi scoffed, turning to leave, but before she closed the door, she turned back to him.

"I didn't see anything…" She turned away then, speaking over her shoulder. "Just thought I'd let you know."

She left then, the door closing silently behind her, leaving Kakashi surprised, before he looked back at his book with a soft smile. _Seems I don't give her enough credit… Not just anyone would give up a chance to look under my mask._ As he thought that, Shi sneezed, turning to glare up at his window from outside the hospital as she rubbed her nose. _He's probably thinking bad things about me._ She thought, before Sakura grew impatient.

"Shi! Hurry up!"

Shi sighed, dropping her head. "Yes, yes."

Sakura frowned. "You only need to say 'yes' once, Shi."

"Mm." Shi grumbled, before the two of them headed out.

Once at the Hokage's doors, Sakura knocked and they were let in, Sakura leaving soon after and Shi simply standing before the Hokage and yawning once more. Shizune, never pleased with Shi's attitude towards the Hokage frowned, but said nothing knowing that the red head would never listen anyway.

"Shi, I'm assuming you had a decent rest?"

Shi frowned, pulling up her scarf and gazing boredly out the Hokage's windows. "Would've been better if I actually got to sleep more."

"Shi! Show some res—"

Tsunade held a hand out, silencing Shizune, who had lost her temper.

"I would've done so if the urgency of this mission wasn't top priority."

Shi's eyes narrowed, growing serious. "And what is this mission?"

Tsunade smirked. _As always, she knows when to get serious._ "I have information regarding the possible whereabouts of one of Orochimaru's hideouts and I wish for you to infiltrate it and discover what you can, on your own."

"What?! But that's a suicide mission! Tsunade, you have to—"

"Shizune!"

Shizune flinched, going silent and bowing her head. "Apologies, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade glanced back at Shi. "I am under the impression, that you are more than capable of performing this task, however, there is more to this mission… Team Kakashi is going to be in the area as well."

Shi furrowed her brows. "Is that wise? Sending, not one, but two people that Orochimaru would be more than willing to capture?"

Tsunade frowned slightly, hands steeple in front of her. "Are you doubting yourself and Naruto, Shi?"

"No. I am simply curious as to why you would send Naruto and I on separate missions that both involve Orochimaru."

"And who says they both involve him?"

Shi sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why else would they be in the area? I'm assuming they are the ones who are going to meet up with Sasori's spy?"

Tsunade smirked. "That is correct, however, you will not be getting involved in their mission. I have sent someone to replace Kakashi on their team, seeing how he is out of commission at the moment, and also someone else to make up for the lack of you and Sasuke. This person, however, will need to be kept an eye on."

"And why tell me this? Seeing as I am not involved in their mission."

"There is always the possibility that Orochimaru may show up where Team Kakashi is meeting up with the spy. That being said, the base would be near empty, allowing you ample opportunity to gather intel on Orochimaru and also Sasuke."

Shi narrowed her eyes once more. "And should I run into Sasuke, Team Kakashi, or Orochimaru?"

"You are not to engage." Tsunade said, seriously. "Should Team Kakashi need assistance, you will help, but should you run into Sasuke or Orochimaru, you are to abandon the mission and return. I am not willing to risk such an important asset over some information."

"To summarize," Shi said. "I am to infiltrate Orochimaru's base to gather information while Team Kakashi engages with the spy and possibly Orochimaru, himself, and should I come across Sasuke or Orochimaru, I am to take what information I have and retreat. Though should I run into Team Kakashi and they need assistance, I will provide it."

Tsunade nodded. "That's it, but there is one more thing."

Tsunade reached into her desk and pulled out a red, black, and white fox mask.

"You are familiar with the Anbu?"

Shi nodded, eyes zeroing in on the mask before looking at Tsunade in somewhat disbelief and disapproval. "You are not suggesting that I become one, are you, Tsunade-sama?"

She held up the mask and raised a brow. "Are you refusing?"

Shi appeared conflicted. "While I know it is a great honor that you would ask me to join… I do not believe I should… It does not sound like a pleasant lifestyle."

Tsunade tossed the mask to Shi, who caught it with an even more confused expression.

"But I just said—"

Tsunade waved her hand lazily. "You're practically Anbu already, Shi. Just take it."

"But Tsunade-sama, I feel as though I have cheated many other capable shinobi to get to this position. I should not have passed the chunin exam after not even participating and becoming jounin by pure recommendation is a bit—"

"Shi." Tsunade said sternly, shutting Shi up before she could say anything more. "It was my decision to promote you to jounin, even with Jiraiya's recommendation and it was the Third's decision to promote you to chunin, something he made a note of to happen even _before_ you participated in the chunin exams. Now, I am not asking you to join the Anbu nor am I forcing you to. That mask is something I had made up for you should you decide to join the Anbu _and_ as something to keep your identity a secret when you go on missions such as this, where it is necessary for you to hide who you are. Do you understand?"

Shi slowly nodded, looking down at the mask in her hand and back up at Tsunade.

"Does this mean…"

Tsunade gave her a look. " _Yes_. You have to take off your scarf for the duration of this mission and the only ones who will know of your identity while wearing said mask, will be myself and Shizune. The others are not to know. Not even Naruto and Kakashi."

Shi bowed her head once more and nodded. "Very well."

"Good. Now as far as the new Team Kakashi goes… while you will not be going on their mission, it's best if you too, meet with them. Yamato, the man who I have chosen to replace Kakashi, is the only other who will know of your unique situation."

Shi nodded, taking the mask and putting it into her pouch as Tsunade sighed.

"You will travel most of the way with Team Kakashi before breaking off on your own to infiltrate the base. And Shi?"

Shi looked up.

"Try not to end up getting into too much trouble." Tsunade grumbled. "I swear, your team seems to be a magnet for it."

Shi grinned, nodding. "Of course, Tsunade-sama."

She then disappeared with a poof, appearing outside the Hokage building and sighing loudly. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

I sighed, sitting cross-legged on a set of stairs where I was supposed to meet up with the new Team Kakashi, using a set of chopsticks to scoop up some noodles and eat them from the bowl of udon I had bought on my way there. _They should be getting here soon. They're lucky I actually knew where this place was though, or I wouldn't have shown up until a lot later. My sense of direction is still as horrible as ever._ I slurped up some noodles and ate, feeling a sense of quite peace come over me as I cleared my mind of everything that had begun to bother me since I'd woken up and discovered what my newest mission was going to be. It was then though, that I felt a new presence, just barely catching a whiff of their scent as they passed over me and most likely sat above me. I couldn't be too sure though, because it was down wind of me, but the new scent had me intrigued. _Ink… A writer perhaps? Maybe calligraphy? And paint… Hm, if this is the new person, I may just get along with them._ Ignoring them for now, I went back to eating from under my scarf, content to just waiting for them to reveal themselves. I didn't have to wait long though, before the replacement for Kakashi showed up along with Sakura.

"Shi? You're coming too?"

I glanced up at Sakura with a bored look. "Only part way."

"O-Oh." She shuffled a bit, giving the new jounin a glance before settling for sitting beside me and speaking quietly. "Is that our new sensei?"

I nodded, slurping more noodles, but saying nothing even as the new presence I had sensed before jumped down from the roof and stood nearby, a fake grin painted on his face. He didn't say anything either and we all waited until Naruto decided to show up, taking one look at the new guy and getting angry.

"Hiya." The new boy said.

"Y-You!"

Sakura seemed surprised they knew each other, but I just assumed that they bumped into each other and the new boy embarrassed Naruto somehow.

"Um… From now on, Team Kakashi… I'll be taking Kakashi's place as—" Yamato didn't get a chance to finish before Sakura interrupted him

"Naruto, do you know this person?"

"Sorry about before." The boy said. "I just wanted to gauge the ability of my new team member. I just didn't know how much I'd have to look after the little prick with no balls."

I stopped, hand hovering with noodles hanging off the chopsticks and blinked a few times at this new boy, surprised not only at what he had done, but also at what he had said. _And I thought Naruto had some foul language…_

"What did you say?!" Naruto flipped out, Sakura having to hold him back.

"Hey! He's our teammate now! Cool down!… but you're… not that nice…"

"Ahaha, really? I like people like you, friendly crones."

Seeing that this was just going to be how he acted, I went back to eating.

"You what?!" Sakura shouted, now being the angry one.

"Hey, remember what you just said to Naruto?!" Yamato said, him having to hold Sakura back now.

Seeing that they weren't going to calm down for a while, I decided to do something about it and began radiating murderous intent, catching their attention as I glared at them.

"Behave. I'm trying to eat."

Naruto and Sakura frowned, but my glaring seemed to do the trick and they stopped, leaving me to go back to eating. _I like my mealtimes to be peaceful. They both know that, so they'll behave… for now…_

"Anyway… From now on, the four of us are on a mission, Shi will be tagging along as well, but will split up with us at a later time. But look at you. There's no time to toss you all in a cage and get you used to each other. So introduce yourselves."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto grumbled.

"I'm Sakura Haruno." Sakura said, equally as grumpy.

"My name is Sai." The new boy said, a fake grin still on his face.

"I'm Yamato." The new sensei said, before gesturing to me. "And as I already said, this is Shi."

I gave Sai a lazy salute, hand still holding my chopsticks as my eyes searched for more noodles. "Yo."

Yamato, Naruto and Sakura all sweatdropped, but moved on.

"Well, now that we know each other, that's the end of that. Now, I'll explain our mission. Shi, since you already know the mission specs for yourself and us as well, you're free to go. We will assemble at the front gate in one hour."

I nodded, standing, but walked towards Sai, standing in front of him as he just smiled back. I reached out and took his hand, holding it out in front of him before placing a dumpling in it, confusing the rest of the team. He, obviously wasn't too sure how to react, but I helped him out.

"Welcome to the team." I said, before disappearing in a proof of smoke and showing up at my apartment door.

 _He's an interesting character. Didn't once drop that smile._ I thought, packing my things into my pouch and bringing a backpack, to look the part, when in reality it was just weighted down with a large block of stone that helped with my training. _Maybe he just doesn't know how to express himself… If so, I understand…_ I let out a small sigh and lifted the weighted pack over my shoulder, deciding to check up on Sai, just to see how he was doing. Thing was, he was a pretty hard guy to follow. I had his scent though and soon came across an apartment complex, landing in a tree nearby. I was going to go in, but I spotted an Anbu jumping in, engaging him for a brief moment before handing him something. Focusing on my hearing, I tried to listen in, already knowing that Sai was the one that the Hokage had been worried about.

"Okay, you have been assigned a top-secret mission. Make sure to carry out the intentions of Danzou, the man who will ensure our village's future."

The Anbu glaring in my direction suddenly, but I was smart and used substitution on a stick beside me with a cat I had spotted below. The cat jumped out of the tree and onto the roof, but he provided my cover and I continued to listen.

"Also, failure is not an option."

"I know."

Now, technically, I could've left then, taking the information I had discovered and reported it to the Hokage or Yamato, but I stuck around. My cover hadn't been blown, and for all I knew, they might spill something more.

"You're still carrying that around with you?"

I wasn't sure what the Anbu was talking about, but it didn't seem too important at the moment.

"In 'Root' you have no name. You have no feelings."

"You have no past. You have no future. All that exists is the mission."

 _No wonder all he does is smile like that. He's been trained to do that for who knows how long._

"The unseen ones who support the great tree of Konoha from the depths of the earth, our intentions as 'Root'… Don't forget it."

"Yes."

The Anbu left and Sai went back to packing, so I went ahead and made myself scarce, heading to the Hokage's office to give her a heads up. I had to wait my turn though, for Sakura was already there and Danzou himself showed up. Tsunade already noticed my presence but since she didn't say anything, it was alright. Once the two had left however, she called out to me.

"Shi. You have something to report?"

I got up from my crouch outside her window and leaned into the room. "I caught Sai having a conversation with another Anbu member."

"What was it about?"

"He's doing a top-secret mission for Danzou. He was handed an envelope, but I wasn't close enough to see what it contained other than documents."

"Did you hear anything else?"

I shook my head. "The only other thing I heard was the Anbu telling him failure wasn't an option and him calling Danzou 'the man who will ensure our village's future'."

Tsunade nodded. "I see… Continue to keep an eye on him and report anything you gather to Yamato while you are out. You're dismissed."

I nodded and poofed off, landing outside my favorite dango and sake place and grabbing something to go before walking to the gates, not too far away. When I arrived, everyone was already there and Naruto still didn't look too pleased, though Sakura was looking slightly less annoyed. _Well, Tsunade_ did _have a talk with her. Perhaps that changed her view on how to handle things._

"Shi! You're late!" Naruto shouted, pointing at me before spotting the dango stick I pulled out from under my scarf. "And what's that?!"

"Dango." I murmured around my food.

Sakura and Yamato sweatdropped.

"You're getting more and more like Kakashi-sensei, Shi." Sakura said, shaking her head. "And I don't think that's a good thing."

"Right then!" Yamato said, feeling the tension rolling off everyone in waves. "Team Kakashi departs!"

We walked in tense silence for a while, managing to make it to a different area of forest before things started to heat up again. Sai seemed to have enough of Naruto's staring and finally pointed it out.

"What is it?"

Naruto didn't say anything and I watched them from behind, curious to see what was going to happen.

"Please stop staring at me. Don't make me hit you."

 _Oh, I like him already._

"Every damn thing you say just pisses me off more!" Naruto shouted, holding a fist up.

"I don't have any malice towards you."

"Liar!" Naruto shouted.

"I'm just trying to put on that kind of attitude."

"Aha! You _do_ have malice! Why the hell are you here?! All you do is piss people off!"

I sighed quietly. _And here I thought they were getting somewhere. Naruto's too thick to realize that everything Sai's saying is entirely true. He's been trained not to feel emotions so he probably doesn't feel malice. Mah, well let's see how Yamato handles this. He'll need some sort of training to learn to deal with them._

"Hey, hey! Don't say something like that right in front of your captain, Naruto. Teamwork and cooperation are the most important things in a team. I thought Kakashi had already taught you that. Someone like you in a team with the great Kakashi, what is it with you?"

It was my turn to sweatdrop then, understanding now what Yamato's lookout on this team was. _He expected them to be amazing because he has such high hopes in Kakashi. Well, isn't he going to be in for a surprise…_

"It's because he's not a member of Team Kakashi! The other member of Team Kakashi is Sasuke!"

I sighed again, knowing where this was heading.

"This guy is just taking Sasuke's place, someone chosen to fill the gap. I'll never consider someone like him as a team member!"

Sai grinned, something I knew would only end up making things worse.

"Well, I'm glad you think of me that way. I wouldn't want to be likened to the weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru clone who only cared about power and ran off to Orochimaru, betraying Konoha."

 _Well, not the best way to put it, but I suppose one would not exactly want to be compared to him when you make it sound like that…_

"You bastard…" Naruto growled out, taking a step forward with clenched fists, but Sakura surprisingly stopped him.

"Truly, the most important thing is teamwork. Sai… Naruto… since he doesn't know you all that well, he just said too much. I'm sorry. Please forgive Naruto."

"S-Sakura…"

My eyes narrowed, putting away the rest of my dango and walking towards the group unnoticed.

"Mm, I'm glad at least one of you is reasonable." Yamato said, believing this to be finished.

"Think nothing of it." Sai grinned.

"Well, that's good." Sakura grinned as well, before suddenly throwing a punch aimed right at Sai's face.

"That really hurt, Sakura." I said with a slightly pained closed-eye smile, my chakra-laden hand holding her fist, Sai lying on the ground behind me.

Yamato sighed in relief, but Sakura and Naruto were looking at me in shock.

"Shi? Why did you—"

"Because, Sakura, Naruto. Teamwork is important, but so is understanding the others on your team." I glanced behind me at Sai too. "You too, Sai."

Sakura lowered her fist, allowing me to massage my poor abused hand as I went on speaking. _Something I'd rather avoid, but it seems Yamato has a thing or two to learn about controlling these three._

"Sai, I suggest not mentioning badly worded things about Sasuke again unless you want to end up flattened."

Sakura and Naruto smirked, thinking they had won, but I rounded on them as well.

"Sakura, Naruto, you should not be so quick to anger, nor so quick to judge. Sai is just… very similar to myself when I first came to Konoha."

Sakura seemed to understand, looking at my own small closed-eye smile and then back at Sai as he brushed himself off. Naruto though looked less convinced, but stayed silent, allowing me to sigh and turn to Yamato.

"They're all yours."

He let out his own exhausted sigh, just as Sai began speaking, only signaling further arguments.

"You fooled me completely, Sakura, with that fake laugh before. I'll remember that." He said with another grin.

"You were nearly hit, why're you acting so cheerful?!" Naruto shouted.

I just began walking once more, this time, pulling out my dango and my Icha Icha book, hoping that perhaps they'd stop arguing when they realized I was going on ahead of them. _Either that, or Yamato finally does something._

"A smile's the best way to get out of trouble. Even if it's fake." Sai said. "Amazingly, it fools everyone… I read that in a book before. It doesn't look like it works here though."

I could feel the tension rising when the ground shook and I turned to find Yamato standing, arms folded, in front of a large wooden prison.

"If you guys won't stop arguing, I'll have to toss you in a cage. I said we don't have time before we go to the Tenchi bridge, but there's five days."

 _It's about time._ I thought, rolling my eyes and turning back around to keep walking as Yamato continued.

"As the mediator here, here's my proposition. You can spend a day or so in the cage to work out your differences, or we can go to a hotel that has a hot springs. What'll it be?"

 _Hot springs sound nice… I've been to some with Jiraiya and Naruto before but never went in the baths… I wonder how it'll turn out with my scars and all… Maybe a private bath… Do they even have those?…_

"You guys don't really know me well either. I like being nice and friendly, but I don't have any problems with ruling by fear either… That… And Shi's already ahead."

I tilted my head back, turning it a bit to look over my shoulder at where Yamato was pointing at me, and spoke just loud enough for them all to hear.

"You're taking too long."

"Shi!" Naruto whined, running over and catching up to me as the others walked along as well, but he stuck around me for the rest of the walk to the hotel, obviously not wanting to be around Sai any more than necessary.

I dealt with it for now, already tired of the arguing, but once we arrived at the hot springs, I grabbed another set of clothes and followed the others out, though Sakura kept glancing back at me with a worried expression. I gave her a look, letting her know I knew she was looking at me, and she sighed quietly, coming close and putting a hand to her mouth to whisper to me and keep the others from listening.

"Are you sure you want to come in now?"

I gave her a confused look, to which she sent a glance at the others before looking back at me.

"I mean, you have scars, right? Are you sure you want people seeing those?"

"I care not for the thoughts of others, Sakura." I told her, earning a surprised look. "Their thoughts are meaningless compared to what I think of myself."

"W-Wow, Shi… That's… Just wow."

"You think?" I said, tilting my head. "I read it in my book."

She sweatdropped. "You don't mean…"

I held up the book in question: Icha Icha Tactics. Sakura immediately face palmed and then began shouting, attracting the others' attention.

"Why are you bringing that?! We're going to bathe! Go put it back in the room!"

I held it up above my head, keeping her from reaching it as I frowned under my scarf.

"But I want to read it."

"Are you kidding?! Do you have any idea what other people are going to think?!"

I scrunched up my brows, confused. "But Sakura, you shouldn't care about what others think. Their thoughts are meaningless compa—"

"Shut up! You already said that! Now go put it back!"

I shook my head back and forth violently. _There's no way she taking this from me._ And, not moments later, one could find me soaking in the bath, reading my book as Sakura blew bubbles in the water in frustration. The other women in the bath gave me a wide berth, having recognized the book and probably also being fearful of me due to the number of scars and the 'don't bother me' look, but that was fine with me. _Just means I won't have to worry about anyone splashing my book._ Just as I thought that, I caught a sneaky look from Sakura and did a quick couple of hand signs to not only stop her from splashing my book, but also cause a decent sized wave to knock her over into the water, thus ending her plots for the rest of the night. Though there was a point where we heard Naruto speak rather loudly, but I took care of that with the same jutsu I used on Sakura.

The next morning though was fairly quiet and I awoke to see Sai sitting outside with Sakura hovering over him. I smiled a bit, glad they were getting along, but silently knowing that it was better not to get attached to Sai. _As much as he's like me, he's still someone I need to keep an eye on…_ I sighed, ruffling my already messy bed-head and got up, getting dressed and walking into the main room to find Yamato already dressed and heading out, Naruto still eating his breakfast. Yamato turned to me and sighed himself.

"Grab a quick breakfast and go get the others. I'll be waiting at the town's west entrance."

I nodded lazily, taking some food and eating it quickly. Once Naruto and I were finished, we grabbed our packs and headed out, though Naruto gave my backpack a look.

"Shi? Why'd you bring a backpack? Don't you have everything you need in that pouch of yours?"

I nodded, unzipping the backpack and showing him the block in there, making him pale.

"This is for weight training."

"Uh, h-how much does that weigh?"

I held it out to him as we walked out and he promptly fell on his face, before I picked up the pack and easily tossed it over my shoulder and onto my back as he got up.

"Man, Shi! That's freakin' heavy!"

I shrugged, not really feeling it and gave him a look over my shoulder.

"I train with Guy, remember?"

He paled once more. "B-Bushy brows?"

I nodded and he stayed quiet until we approached Sakura and Sai, just barely catching the end of their conversation.

"To be more accurate, it's not that I don't give them titles, it's that I can't. Not one thing comes to me. I just don't… feel anything at all." Sai said, before Naruto had to go and ruin the moment.

"Well, that sure explains why almost everything you say is so insensible."

I gave him a look, but what I saw made me smile a little. _He feels bad about before. That's good. Maybe now they'll get along._ I yawned then, catching their attention as I walked forward.

"We're ready to go. Yamato is waiting at the west entrance."

"Okay." Sakura said, stretching as Naruto looked over at the picture Sai had drawn.

"Hey. That picture, it's nothing special."

"Indeed. Just like your penis." Sai quipped back, making me smile just slightly.

 _Here we go…_

"I'm going to be completely straightforward and honest! I absolutely hate you! If you have a problem with me, then quit it with the fake smile and start being straightforward and honest yourself! If you want to fight, I'll take you on anytime!"

"Naruto." I sighed, but Sai beat me to it.

"You don't understand. I just don't think anything of you, one way or the other."

Naruto continued to misunderstand as I sighed, scratching the back of my head. _Maybe he'll figure it out soon. If he doesn't, I'll have to go through the daunting task of explaining it to him… And Naruto is one who doesn't understand things even if you_ do _explain things._ I saw Sai began packing things up and went ahead and helped him out, passing him things, when Sakura picked up a book.

"This… it isn't printed, is it? Did you draw this also?"

Sai took the book, protective of it. "Yeah."

"Oh really… A picture book, huh?"

Naruto scoffed and I smacked him upside the head, earning a glare that I returned with one of my own. _Behave._

"Hey, would you mind showing it to me along the way sometime?" Sakura said, playing peacemaker.

"Actually I would. This book, it isn't finished yet. Also, I make a point of not letting other people touch this… because it's my older brother's."

I touched my scarf, understanding what he was feeling even if he didn't show it, and eventually we all headed out again, meeting up with Yamato and walking into a denser part of the forest just as night fell.

"This looks like a good place." Yamato suddenly said, stopping and bringing his hands together, wood coming up and creating a rather large house-like dwelling. "We'll be camping here tonight."

"Um, I don't think you can call this camping." Sakura said, but accepted it, heading in with everyone else.

I did as well, though I would've preferred camping outside, something I was used to and enjoyed on occasion. _Though I did it not a few days ago while tracking the Akatsuki, but that was different._ I sighed, setting my things down in a corner and shedding my traveling cloak as I prepared to rest. _I'm going to need more rest than the others too, most likely. My senses need to be on alert once I'm there and I'd rather not be too exhausted to do anything._

"Everyone, gather over here for a bit."

I frowned, and glared at Yamato, who took once glance and chuckled nervously.

"Uh, not you, Shi. You can go ahead and rest."

I scoffed quietly, before sitting with my back in the corner, sword across my shoulder and traveling cloak over me in my usual sleeping position. It was hard to block out the group talking about Sasori, but I managed somehow and drifted off into a decent sleep. I say decent, only because I had gotten used to the constant nightmares Of course, the next day was full of _wondrous_ team bonding, and by bonding, I mean arguing. Currently, Naruto had a fist full of Sai's shirt and was getting angry… again.

"What is it?"

"Do you know what the word 'companion' means?"

Sai took out a scroll and brush, writing the word down and holding it up, making me sigh. _I seem to be doing that a lot lately. If they don't fix their teamwork soon, Kakashi won't be the only one with grey hair._

"Of course I know. What about it?"

"Hey, hold on, Naruto." Sakura said, obviously seeing how this could turn bad.

"Please don't lay blame on others for your own minimal amount of ability." Sai began, moving on to criticize Naruto and what had just occurred in the supposedly _team bonding_ spar they had just had. "Had you not fallen for the captain's obvious provocation, I would have been able to stay hidden without being exposed. You went and had your clone transform into me, then made it obvious by using your own jutsu. It's not pleasant to fight while looking after someone who can't even keep himself in check. I just worked with the success of the mission in mind."

Naruto actually took his criticism better than I expected, simply shoving him away and turning around to get his things.

"I will never consider you a companion or a member of team Kakashi."

Yamato sighed, placing a hand to his head beside me. "This really was pointless, wasn't it…"

I pat him on the shoulder. "Least you tried."

Sai though, spoke up again, making things far worse by mentioning Sasuke. "What would Sasuke have done in that situation? Fought while looking after you? As a companion, and a member of Team Kakashi? The one who betrayed the village and injured you… You still refer to him as a friend?"

Naruto turned slightly, sending Sai a scathing glare. "If it's to save that friend, I'll do anything. Even work with you."

I turned away from the scene, deciding that I needed to get away from the tense atmosphere for a bit. I had found while training with Jiraiya that other people's emotions seemed to affect me more than it did with other people. So too much tension could cause me to be tense as well, and too much of anything could make it harder for me to concentrate on other matters. _Like this mission._ I thought, looking up at the leaves above me and reaching into my pouch, pulling out my own paintbrush and canvas. I didn't paint much anymore, having too little time and no inspiration, but when I did, I was surprised at what I came up with. Now, was no different. Instead of painting the forest around me like I thought I was going to do, I painted a small dark haired boy crying over the body of another white haired one.

"Shi. Captain Yamato asked me to come get you."

I glanced up, looking at Sai as he approached with a smile and I put away my things though Sai seemed surprised.

"You… draw?"

I shook my head. "Paint. Though… I find myself illustrating things I've never seen."

Sai seemed intrigued for a moment before returning that smile back on his face.

"I see."

Once my things were put away, I stood and came up beside Sai, walking next to him as we headed back to the others.

"Sai."

"Yes?"

"You should be a bit more… cautious of how you phrase things."

He looked at me seeming confused. "I do not understand."

"For instance, Sasuke is a bad thing to bring up. Naruto and Sakura are both hurt by what he did… bringing it back up will only compromise what little cooperation you three may have and could affect your performance on the mission."

"I see."

I nodded, glad he understood so far, and continued. "I understand you not wanting to be compared to him, but perhaps you could explain it differently. Instead of making him sound like a bad person, make you sound like a good one."

Sai thought for a moment. "So instead of saying he's a weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru clone—"

"You could say that you do not want to be compared to him for you are your own person with your own abilities."

He seemed to consider that and slowly nodded. "I believe I understand now, though change will be difficult."

I nodded, accepting that answer just as we returned and the atmosphere grew tense once more. _I see. Yamato just sent him after me to get these two to cool their heads and since I was probably the only one who can deal with him. I hope things go well tomorrow when I'm gone._ We walked and they somehow managed to keep from fighting the rest of the way; Naruto and Sakura keeping their distance from Sai, whereas I was usually put between him and the others. Once morning came, however, I packed up my things and said my goodbyes, telling them to try and behave if only to complete the mission. Surprisingly, the distance between the Tenchi bridge and the base wasn't too far and I put my scarf away and donned the fox mask, closing my tan cloak to hide any other noticeable clothing features I may have and removing my earrings for now.

 _This is it. If I'm lucky, then Orochimaru won't be here… or maybe that would be something unlucky. I'd rather have to deal with escaping from him than Naruto and them trying to fight him._ I let out a long breath, clearing my mind of everything except my mission, and sent to work; entering the underground base and making sure to avoid areas that I could get caught easily. The set up was actually a lot like the base I had been held at and, with that knowledge firmly screwed into my head, things grew more mentally trying than I wanted. _Come on, brain. Don't think about the memories, just try to sniff out information._ I checked any rooms that smelled heavily like snake, not having caught Orochimaru's actual scent just yet, and only seemed to come upon empty rooms.

There were spare bedrooms, a deserted medical room, empty experiment cells, and at least three different rooms for Orochimaru's pet snakes; which I quickly high tailed it out of. After a bit more searching, I grew worried, feeling tremors in the ground. _These tremors and the fact that I haven't caught Orochimaru's scent yet means they're probably fighting him. I want to help, but I haven't gotten anything yet and they should be capable of handling themselves with two Anbu members with them. And if not, I'm sure they're smart enough to know when to retreat._ My worry grew though, when the tremors stopped, signaling that the fight was over and, should Orochimaru be alive, he would be returning. Thankfully, I discovered a room that could prove helpful, littered with scrolls and books. _It may not be Orochimaru's room, but Kabuto's could be quite useful as well._

I began copying what information from Kabuto's records I could, stuffing scroll after scroll into my pack as quickly as I could fill them, before I heard voices and decided to make myself scarce. I exited Kabuto's room and upon discovering what direction the voices were coming from, I headed the opposite in the hopes that I would end up back near the entrance. When I reached the back of the base though, I realize that my assumptions had been wrong and instead, against better judgment, went towards the voices. I was able to recognize the sound of Kabuto's voice, but the other had me a bit surprised. _Sai? But if he's here, then that means…_ I mentally groaned, but heard a door click shut and footsteps head in my direction. I quickly hid in a nearby room, just barely able to lock pick the door and make it in and shut it as footsteps rounded the corner. The only issue was, the room I had snuck my way into was full of snakes. _Kami, I hate snakes._

Needless to say, five minutes later, one could find me nursing a number of snake bites and Orochimaru down a couple hundred snakes. As I came out of the room, wielding a kunai, and shut the door with a menacing glare. _I hope those weren't ones he was using to test a new poison, or I might be dead in a few hours._ I went down the hall to where Kabuto came from and was surprised to hear even more footsteps coming, though these ones were accompanied by three _very_ familiar scents. _What are they doing down here? Seriously?_ I glared and casually walked around the corner, alerting all three of them and causing them to draw their weapons until Yamato realized who I was.

"It's alright guys, he's one of ours."

 _I'm not a guy, but it'll work for my cover._

"Are you sure?" Naruto questioned. "He looks pretty sketchy to me."

Deciding to enjoy this moment while it lasts, and get a little revenge on Naruto for the multitude of pranks he played on me the two and a half years I was with him and Jiraiya, I put my speed to good use and was instantly behind him with a kunai to his throat.

"I could kill you in an instant, before you could even so much as _think_ of death, but I won't. Do you know why?" I whispered sinisterly to him as he swallowed nervously. "Because I'm under orders to get out of here alive and your screams would give away my position."

I removed the kunai from his throat and headed over to where Yamato was, growling lowly under my breath. "What are you and your team doing down here? You could compromise my mission."

Yamato frowned, kneeling down to the door lock. "We had no choice. One of our teammates is a mole and met up with Orochimaru before following him here. We need answers."

"Answers are not worth lives." I growled back as he unlocked the door and peaked his head in.

"And look what we have here."

The four of us entered the room, myself closing the door behind us, leaving it cracked open, and earning a suspicious glare from Sai that I just ignored and he did as well.

"The Hokage controlled Anbu, impressive as always. To think that fake corpse wouldn't fool you."

"Why don't you tell us about what's going on here?" Yamato demanded, just before Naruto grabbed a hold of Sai's shirt.

"You! Why did you betray us?!"

"You shouldn't make too much noise here. It'll mean trouble" Sai said with a grin.

"Why you—"

"Naruto!"

Naruto reluctantly released Sai and Sakura pulled out a book, handing it back to Sai.

"Here. We found this. It's yours, I believe."

"Thank you."

"You're here under Danzou's orders, right? Danzou's planning something through working with Orochimaru and you were chosen as a go-between. What is it he's up to?"

Sai was silent.

"He's plotting the destruction of Konoha with Orochimaru… part two of it, right?"

"No, actually—"

Sai was cut off by Naruto. "We already all know your smiles are fake and the same goes for the lies you force through them!"

"My mission ended in failure the moment you found me and I can't very well take care of the four of you by myself. However," Sai sent me a quick glance. "Are you sure you want me speaking about this in front of someone else?"

Yamato nodded. "He's with us and already has knowledge of the situation."

The others in the room gave me a look, but I stayed silent, sticking to the door to keep an ear out for anyone coming.

"Very well. Since you already know so much, there isn't much reason to hide things anymore. Just as you say, we are going to destroy Konoha as it exists today."

"Why you…"

"In order to destroy Konoha, I was to gain Orochimaru's favor thus giving us a chance for us to ally with him. That was my true mission."

Yamato took out a kunai. "Keep talking. Now tell us everything you know."

"You… Do you even realize what it is you're saying?! What it means—"

"That's not everything." Sai interrupted. "I was also supposed to secretly transmit information on Orochimaru to Danzou. In other words, I was also assigned a mission of espionage."

 _Looks like I'm not the only one looking for dirt on this guy._

"So the mission was to ally with the enemy, then use and outwit him in the end… And that enemy is Orochimaru? Such a dangerous mission." Sakura said.

 _It's a good thing she doesn't know I was pretty much assigned the same kind of mission._

"Once Konoha falls, Orochimaru is guaranteed to betray us in the end, after all my mission was intended to allow us to always stay one step ahead of him."

"Danzou wants to make Konoha his own, obviously and you, on your own, were assigned a mission to make that possible."

Sakura seemed to become more and more disbelieving of what Sai was saying, probably questioning who it is that would make someone do this and why they would readily agree with it. _There's nothing I can do or say that will help, but we need to hurry. I just picked up Kabuto's scent._

"I was singled out due to the special abilities I have. The ink I write with becomes small, living animals and protecting themselves from harm they carry the information out to their destination."

"If Konoha becomes the stage of a battle again, countless people will die! What you're trying to do is going to have very real consequences, but do you even understand that?!"

"Bah, I just follow my orders."

"Sai… you're…" Sakura's face dropped and I lifted my head from the door.

"We've got maybe ten minutes before Kabuto returns." I announced, moving back to the door.

"Just to let you know, 'Sai' is a name that was assigned to me merely for the purposes of this mission. In reality, I'm nobody. I am nothing more than a tool of Danzou. I don't really exist. As such, no matter what you say to me, it means nothing."

"In that case, tell me why you care so much about that picture book you carry."

That seemed to earn a reaction from Sai and he looked down at the book with an almost melancholy expression.

"The two children on the covers. That's you and your brother, right? You carry that because it is the only thing left that proves you really do exist, am I not right? It's the same with Shi and her scarf."

I glanced at Sakura out of the corner of my eye, my gaze hidden by my mask, as Sai lifted his own gaze in question.

"Shi has no memories before seven years ago. That scarf she always wears, it's the only thing she has from before that and she used to be just as emotionless as you. She didn't start smiling or anything until we managed to get to know her after a while, but they were there. You didn't managed to get rid of your emotions, despite what you say. Even for us shinobi, abandoning our emotions completely is impossible."

"Please explain, why would carrying this picture book or Shi's scarf serve to prove my existence?"

"The reason why you and Shi both refuse to let go of that book and her scarf, is precisely because you find yourself unable to forget your existence as somebody's brother and because Shi is unable to forget someone from her past that—though she may not remember them—she cannot ignore their existence. Do you understand why?"

Sai couldn't answer and even I was forced to turn away as emotions began to run high.

"It's because your bonds with your brother are very important to you, just as Shi's bonds to the person who gave her the scarf is very important to her."

I swear I saw something and smiled slightly under my mask, having spotted God painting a picture and look over his shoulder at me with a kind smile.

"The reality is, you don't want to erase the bonds between you and your brother."

"Bonds…"

"Sorry to say, but we took a little peek at the contents of that book." Yamato said. "The picture on the two pages in the center is the only part of the book left unfinished. Judging from the rest of the book, you would end up fighting your brother on those center pages."

Sai stayed silent and Yamato went on.

"Sai, I know that you were a part of Anbu's 'Roots'. And I know that Danzou has given you special training in order to relieve you of your emotions. Training identical to that of the forsaken tradition that were once practiced in the Village of Bloody Mist, Kirigakure. Sai, your brother was killed by none other than—"

"You're wrong!" Sai said, raising his voice ever so slightly. "I had intended to give this to my brother as a present but just when I was about to complete it, my brother… he died of illness."

I then remembered the painting I had done not a day earlier of a dark haired boy crying over another's frail body and I realized then, that what I painted had actually happened. It was Sai and his brother.

"We weren't connected by blood but he did compliment me on my drawings quite a bit. 'Roots' was filled with a great number of children that had been separated from their families due to battles and I became close to one of those children, calling him brother. About this picture book… the picture I wanted to show my brother the most, the one in the center, I… after my brother died… I just can't seem to remember what I was planning on drawing."

I pulled away from the door then, alerting the others. "We need to go, now. We have five minutes to round the corner and reach the end of the hall before Kabuto is within sight range."

Yamato nodded and we hurried out, Yamato leading and soon taking us to where he entered through the wall. It wasn't long before we were outside, but I knew we wouldn't have too much time before Kabuto found out what had happened and came after us. _They probably would send experiments or subordinates, but those were back at the main base where I was located. I saw no signs of any experiments here other than the snakes._ I felt my vision swirl suddenly and grit my teeth. _Speaking of snakes. Looks like the poison's finally catching up._ I felt my legs quivering and Yamato seemed to notice and gave me a look as he wrapped Sai up in wood restraints.

"You okay there, Fox?"

I went to answer, but blood bubbled up in my throat and I fell to my knees, hand over my mouth under my mask as I coughed up blood.

"Poison… Sakura! Can you treat him?"

Sakura, seemed a bit reluctant, but nodded and made her way over to me, hands glowing green as she began locating the poison and extracting it. After a while, I could tell that a majority of the poison was gone and I pushed her hands away, earning a surprised look.

"But I'm not finished! I still need to—"

"It's fine. I have a high tolerance to poisons and my blood should be able to combat it now."

I stood up then and made my way over to Yamato as he spoke with Sai.

"Unfortunately Sai, we're going to have to leave you here with my bunshin watching you."

Sai said nothing, but I had more important issues to bring up with Yamato and led him off to the side a moment.

"My mission is complete, however, there is a chance I could get more information. Though I am not willing to put your team into danger for this."

He nodded. "Understood, but now that we have news about Sasuke being here it is our opportunity to possibly bring him back."

I frowned, glancing over at Naruto. "Is that wise? While I am familiar with Sasuke, what I heard is he left on his own. I doubt he will come back willingly. A small team such as this may not be enough to combat him, Kabuto, and Orochimaru should it come down to it."

"Yes, but I doubt anyone will be able to convince _him_ of that."

Yamato nodded towards Naruto who was more than eager to get back into danger.

"Now to get back to what we came here for. It's time to rescue Sasuke."

I sighed, but nodded. "Very well. I will provide my assistance, but should things get out of control, it will be _my_ call as to when to retreat."

Yamato nodded in understanding as we both listened back in to what Naruto and Sai were speaking about.

"Do you really intend to go up against Orochimaru of all people, just for him… You're going to put your life on the line to bring him back? But why? It's not like you've been ordered to do this." Sai said, confused, would be my guess.

Naruto gave a tense smile. "Way back when, I used to hate Sasuke… but once I got used to being with him I realized he's really a lot of fun to be around… He's… He's the person that, more than anyone else, accepted me and my existence. Sasuke is my friend and he represents bonds that I waited so long to receive, so that's why."

"…Bonds…" Sai said, realizing what Naruto was saying. "Still, that's not much reason. Not if it means facing someone like Orochimaru."

Naruto grinned. "If I get my arms ripped off, I'll just kick him to death. If I get my legs ripped off, I'll just bite him to death. If my head gets ripped off, I'll just stare him to death. And if my eyes get ripped out, I'll just curse him to death. Even if it means getting torn to pieces, I'm going to take Sasuke back from Orochimaru. No matter what!"

Seeing that Naruto had finished his speech, he began getting ready to make a clone. Just then though, I lifted my head. The wind had shifted directions, carrying with it, a familiar scent.

"Move!" I called out, and everyone jumped back away from Sai as kunai fell all around him.

Landing before him was Kabuto and I felt a growl threatening to rip from my throat, but kept my feelings down for fear of revealing my identity.

"Sai, judging from your situation, I suppose this means you were captured."

Sai said nothing and mentally, I hoped that some of what Naruto had said had gotten through to Sai because he was now in the perfect position to help us capture Kabuto should he still be on our side. Kabuto released him and Naruto and Sakura prepared for a fight.

"This guy just doesn't give up."

"If you two are going to get in my way then I'm not going to be holding back!" Naruto shouted, two of his clones having been above Kabuto preparing a rasengan, only to get kicked away.

"So pointless." Kabuto said.

"Fights aren't decided 'til the very end, and we're just getting started!" Naruto continued to shout, making me wonder if this was how he handled all his fights.

"No, no. That's not what I'm talking about." Kabuto said mockingly. "Watching you makes me truly feel pity. People change. Sasuke is no longer the Sasuke you used to know."

Just then, I smirked, Sai having gone up behind Kabuto and getting him in an arm lock.

"What are you doing?!" Kabuto questioned, surprised.

"You say people change and here I am."

"What?!"

"But there are also things that don't change."

"Sai… What are—"

"Bonds." Sai said, cutting Naruto off. "I want to see what they're really made of."

I turned my head, moving to check the entrance that we came out of for Orochimaru's scent and finding it further in the base. _Good. Seems like Kabuto's the only one who has caught onto us… for now._ Yamato and the others came over and I gave them a nod.

"We're clear for now. Orochimaru is in the back of the base though it is still possible we may run into him."

Yamato nodded and we all reentered the base, stopping just inside so I could double check Orochimaru's position.

"We'll split into two teams to search for Sasuke. Sakura and I will form one, Naruto and Sai the other. If something comes up, focus your chakra. That will be more than enough to produce a reaction in the seeds I have in your bodies. I'll be there for you at a moment's notice."

"What about, uh, Fox?" Sakura said, giving me a look.

I returned said look, eyes cold. "I will be fine on my own. I still have my mission and I have a good sense of smell. I can keep track of where the enemies are and avoid them or find you should I need to… Also, this."

I reached into my cloak and tossed the radio to Yamato, putting one around my own neck as he did the same.

"I expect an update should you encounter anything before I do."

He nodded and we soon all split up. I kept an eye on everyone's scent, making sure that none of them were heading straight into trouble and I continued to search for some information. After a while, I checked the scents again, seeing that Sai and Naruto had stopped in one area while Sakura and Yamato were out of range. I checked my radio, calling him.

"Anything?"

"Not yet. Just empty rooms."

"Okay."

I then opened a door and grinned at my good fortune. I had found Orochimaru's study. I quickly began digging through files, copying information and storing it away, when I checked his scent and immediately stopping what I was doing. _That's right by Naruto and Sai… Dammit!_ I had a choice to make now. Risk trying to gather more information in the hopes that Yamato would get to them in time or leave and try to reach them first. I hesitated, jaw clenched tight, when a voice came into my head.

" _In the world of ninja, those who break the rules are called scum… but those who don't take care of their friends are even worse scum."_

I smiled then, making my choice and leaving the room, hurrying towards the scents to find Sai's leaving the area. _Why? Is he turning traitor? But before his emotions seemed credible. So then, what? Naruto he… that's it. He sent Sai to find Sasuke._ I checked with Yamato then.

"Naruto's engaged with Orochimaru and it's possible he sent Sai to locate Sasuke." I informed.

"Alright. Are you closer?"

"No. You're closer to Naruto. I'm closer to Sai."

"Then we'll split up." His voice crackled over the radio. "You go after Sai and Sasuke. I'll catch up with Naruto."

"Very well." I said, hurrying towards where I could smell Sai and catching Sasuke's scent as well.

It took a while before I was close, but just then, Yamato's voice crackled again over the radio.

"Fox! He's not a go-between for Danzou and Orochimaru. His mission is the assassination of Sasuke! You need to stop him! Orochimaru is also after him!"

I cursed under my breath, letting Yamato know I received his message and I checked Orochimaru's scent. It was close, but not close enough for worry. On the other hand, Sai was just around the corner, Sasuke as well. When I turned the corner, Sai already had his head in a doorway and the last thing I heard was Sasuke speaking to him.

"You woke me up… to talk about bonds?"

My eyes widened, just as the area shook and this section of the base began to crumble, Sai being thrown back by the force of what I could only assume was an attack from Sasuke. I hurried and sped over to Sai, getting behind him and stopping him from being launched across the rocks dangerously, causing him to look up at me in surprise.

"You…"

"Don't thank me just yet." I muttered, looking up to the outline of Sasuke, who was shaded by the sun. "Things are just getting started."


	10. Chapter 10

I caught everyone's scent then and grabbed Sakura's hand just as she reached for Sai's neck.

"He is not the enemy here." I said, just as Sasuke spoke up.

"Ah, is it Sakura?"

I loosened my grip as her arm went slack and she looked up at him. "S-Sasuke?"

Naruto came over then, stumbling once, before staring up at Sasuke in shock. "Sasuke…"

"Naruto… So you came too. Does that mean Kakashi and Shi are here as well?"

Yamato stepped forward. "Unfortunately, Kakashi couldn't be here, but I'm here in his place. Shi was here before but had another mission. We, Team Kakashi, are going to be taking you back to Konoha."

"Team Kakashi, huh?"

Sai pulled out a sword then, holding it up and surprising Sakura.

"Sai! I knew it!"

"So he's my replacement then, is he?" Sasuke questioned. "He was spouting some kind of nonsense about protecting bonds between Naruto and me. One more pansy for the group, quite the fit I'm sure."

"Huh?"

Everyone seemed confused, but I understood.

"It is true, my top-secret mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke, but those orders don't matter anymore. Now I want to think and act for myself. Because of Naruto, I feel like I might be able to remember something. Remember how I used to feel. Something which I can't help but feeling was very important to me. I may not know you all that well, but there's a reason why Naruto and Sakura chase after you with so much passion. In order to prevent their bonds with you from breaking… In order to keep them intact, they're doing everything they can. I still don't have a very good understanding of it myself but you, Sasuke, you should know why."

"Sure, I did know and that's why I severed them. I have other bonds I carry. Fraternal bonds, forged through hate. Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus, weakening their strongest wish, their greatest desire."

"If that's true…" Naruto said quietly. "If that's true, then why… why didn't you kill me back then?! Is that what you call severing bonds?! Sasuke?!"

 _I don't like this._ I thought, eyeing Sasuke carefully. _I doubt he's just been sitting on his backside for these couple of years. He had to have been training. What did Kakashi say his chakra natures were? Fire and… lightning. So he would be improving his speed most likely and that sword on his back… I doubt it's just for show._ Sasuke suddenly moved, something I barely caught, only because I had been looking for it. I hadn't seen anything threatening about his movement just yet, so I left him be as he stood next to Naruto, but I was prepared to fight, a hand just inside my cloak on the hilt of my sword.

"Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage a dream of yours? If you had the time to go around looking for me, you would have been better off training, don't you think, Naruto?"

"S-Sasuke…" Sakura whispered out.

"And that's why this time, you're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine." I saw Sasuke draw his sword, but I saw Sai move to stop it and kept still for the moment as Sai grabbed Sasuke's wrist.

"Your choice of defense… quite correct."

Naruto kicked up then, twisting Sasuke's arm as Yamato went to bind him with wood, but Sasuke did something unexpected and charged himself with lightning. _Unexpected, but that gives me a hint about what he's been working on. If he can charge himself with lightning then—_ I cut my thoughts off, seeing Sakura go in and Yamato go in to defend her, but I knew Yamato couldn't defend with just a measly kunai and jumped in as well, sword drawn and also charged with lightning. The sword cut through the top of my shoulder, my block having just barely worked to deflect the sword upward at the last second.

"Your choice of defense… also quite correct… You see, this sword of Kusanagi I hold here is a little special. It's the kind that can't be blocked…But you're right side's wide open."

Sasuke went to stab me in the side with a kunai, but I blocked that as well, a second sword charged with electricity catching the small blade as I added wind to that sword, creating a magnetic property. _And hopefully it won't give me away._ Sasuke though, seemed to have enough talking and glanced over at Naruto, who was already having issues with the Kyuubi. _Not good. Hopefully he can control it for a bit more._ Yamato used that opportunity to launch a sneak attack, a wood pillar shooting up from the ground and aiming for Sasuke's chest. He tried to pull away, realizing that his kunai was stuck and dropping it, but Yamato was prepared for this and went to capture him in a wood dome. Something that Sasuke's sword easily cut through and he landed above us once more.

"Sasuke." Naruto said, arms shaking as he tried to push himself up. "Why don't you get it?! You're body's going to be stolen by Orochimaru anytime now!"

"If that happens, then it happens." Sasuke replied. "You're still quite the kid, Naruto. Revenge means everything to me. As long as I can have my revenge, I could care less what happens to me or the whole world for that matter. Let me make it clear for you. For both me and Orochimaru, right now, killing Itachi would be impossible. But if I am able to accomplish my goals through nothing more than offering Orochimaru this body of mine, then he can have my life and my afterlife for that matter."

"That's enough talk." Yamato said. "Naruto and Sakura, with you two here, I had hoped not to have to resort to any of my cruder methods, but unfortunately, it's time I get serious."

Sasuke too, seemed to be done with talking, but it was my turn to intervene and I stood between the two of them just as Orochimaru showed up with Kabuto, stopping Sasuke as I stopped Yamato. Yamato glared at me, but I glared back in return.

"It's _my_ call." I reminded him and he reluctantly lowered his hands as Orochimaru and Kabuto convinced Sasuke to do the same.

They soon disappeared, deciding to let us live if only for us to take out the Akatsuki, and Naruto curled up on the ground, weeping.

"Crying isn't going to bring Sasuke back, you know." Sakura said, though tears fell down her face as well. "I'm here too. We'll both get stronger together."

"There's almost another half year left." Sai said, catching their attention. "And three's better than two, obviously. Besides, I'm pretty strong myself, you know. And Shi will help as well, I'm sure."

Naruto and Sakura wiped their eyes and got up, Sai helping Naruto walk as I sighed.

"You gave me far too much work to do, Yamato." I complained, earning a chuckle.

"Apologies, Fox. Is there anything left?"

I lifted my head, sniffing and shook it. "No. Orochimaru seemed to have been cleaning up before he left. Not even a snake."

Yamato nodded and turned to the others before turning back. "Will you be joining us then?"

I shook my head. "I have contact with another who will be joining you soon."

He smiled a bit and I headed off, jumping into the forest and landing on a branch, removing my mask and cloak, stowing it away for now as I looked over the damage on my shoulder. It wasn't too bad and after a few minutes I had it healed right up, but I needed to grab my other cloak to wear in order to cover the tear in my shirt. _Not only that, but I'll need to make sure I keep it on even while sleeping. A pain, but I can deal with it._ I sighed, putting on my scarf and earrings and heading back to the others, making it look as though I was in a hurry. When I got there and landed, I looked around in a slight panic—playing my part—when I spotted Naruto and sighed. He chuckled a bit, though the usual cheer in his voice was gone.

"Heh, you're late, Shi."

I headed over and bopped him and Sakura upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Shi!"

I walked past them and looked back. "Cheer up."

They both slowly began to smile a little and Naruto shook his fist at me. "Says you! You always have that grumpy face on! You didn't have to hit us!"

I turned around, walking backwards with my hands in my pockets, with an actual grumpy face. "What grumpy face?"

They chuckled and I gave them a small closed eye smile in return, before we headed back to Konoha. There were times when Naruto and Sakura would get tense or depressed, but Sai and myself kept them on their toes. He and I actually got along quite well and, now that I knew he wasn't going to end up betraying us or anything, I was growing attached to him as well. We sort of understood each other and I helped him with his studies of human emotions, recommending he check out some books when we return to Konoha to see if they might help. And it was often that Sakura or Naruto would catch us painting together. He was good company and I didn't mind being around him.

When we returned to Konoha, things began to return to normal. I reported what I had to Tsunade, getting a good amount of payment in return and the promise of future missions of such caliber. I let out a sigh, currently heading to meet up with Naruto, Sai, and Sakura to go and visit Kakashi. I was reading my Icha Icha book for the fifth time since I got the book, and had a bag with dumplings at my side, the delicious smell coming from them teasing me. _I could just eat one, but then one would turn into ten and I wouldn't have any for Kakashi…_ I frowned under my scarf, giving the bag a glance, when a cheerful voice called out ahead of me.

"Shi! Did you bring me food?!"

I held the bag up out of Naruto's reach, continuing to read my book as Sai and Sakura stood off to the side.

"No. This is for Kakashi."

"Eh?" Naruto whined, but Sakura gave me a smirk.

"For Kakashi, huh? Any special reason behind that, Shi?"

I gave her an odd look. "The food sucks."

She deadpanned and sighed. "Never mind."

"Naruto, Sakura, Shi? Would you mind if I join the conversation as well?"

I glanced at Sai, who was scratching his cheek looking a bit nervous.

"Ah!… Er… I read this book about getting to know people and stuff, and it said that I should drop name suffixes or use nicknames and such. By doing so it creates a feeling of closeness allowing people to become friends quickly." He said with a nervous smile.

"Heh, Sai. I didn't think you actually cared about that stuff." Naruto said with a large grin, hands behind his head.

"So that's why you were reading those books."

Sai nodded. "Shi recommended them."

Sakura and Naruto turned to me with matching grins and I looked away, embarrassed.

"I-I thought they might help. I had a hard time as well and they helped a bit."

They both chuckled as Sai spoke more.

"But, while I thought about it for a bit, I couldn't think of any good nicknames for you two. So for now I just drop the suffixes and…"

"Nicknames aren't something you think about, they just happen naturally." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded. "If you're going to make a nickname then you can, for instance, use someone's characteristics. Like here, take Naruto. He'd be 'stupid Naruto' or 'idiot Naruto'."

I sweat dropped as Naruto complained. _Bad idea, Sakura. Sai takes things like that seriously._

"Thanks, I think I got the hang of it, ugly-dog."

Needless to say, when we got to the hospital—me disguising the dumplings as something from the bookstore (they didn't like people bringing good food in the hospital)—Naruto and Sai both had rather large bruises on their faces.

"I see. So this is the new team member." Kakashi said. "Sai, was it? Nice to meet you."

"Thank you."

Kakashi then waved Sakura over. "Sakura, come here a sec."

With my hearing, I could just barely pick up what Kakashi was saying as he whispered to her behind his book.

"Both of them are hurt. Did they get in a fight or something? Naruto's a bit short tempered so it doesn't surprise me, but…"

I felt my lips twitch up in a smirk and turned away with a snort as Sakura waved her hand about.

"Oh… No, it's nothing really. We're all really good friends!"

"Oh… Really… Well, then things are okay, I suppose."

Kakashi gave me a look and I gave him a look that said I'd inform him later, to which he nodded. Sakura though, turned to Naruto then, who began speaking.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei… our last mission, it—"

"I've already heard everything from Yamato. He told me about Sasuke as well." Kakashi replied, looking down at his book.

"We don't have any time left." Naruto went on. "At this rate, in just a bit longer, he'll… and with where we're at right now, we aren't strong enough to bring Sasuke back. He's gotten way too strong."

"Well, in that case, you only need to become stronger than him, right?"

"Even as I looked at him, it was clear that the speed at which he's gotten stronger isn't normal at all." Sakura said. "After consulting Tsunade, she told me it was possible he's been using forbidden jutsu or has been given drugs during his training. With someone like Kabuto working with him, well…" Sakura gave me a glance, before looking back down. "And while I probably can't hope to learn anything from books like these about how people who experiment on humans think, well…"

"In that case, you'll just need to get even stronger than him, at a faster rate." Kakashi replied.

"Yeah, but how?"

"You don't think I've just been sleeping here without thinking, do you? I was thinking the whole time and… something came to me. Still, this particular method is best for someone like Naruto. Or rather… I should say, that it's really something that only he is capable of doing. With this training, Naruto, you might even surpass me, in a way of speaking."

"Surpass you?"

Kakashi looked up from his book. "That's right. I'll be at your side through all of this training. Shi as well."

I turned to him and raised a brow, but he just gave me a closed-eye grin and went on.

"And it's completely different from any training you've ever done."

"W-What'll we be doing?"

"Making you a unique ultimate ninjutsu. That is to say, you'll get a ninjutsu more powerful than the Rasengan. _But_ to get a power like that, requires a massive amount of time and work. You won't get super strong in a few days like someone out of a book. And it's not like jutsu that you've learned before, like the Rasengan, where you were steered through it slowly so you could get it."

"You say we need a massive amount of time, but we don't have any!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke's already—"

"That's why I've come up with a way to minimize the time."

"H-How? How can you do that?"

"Well—"

Kakashi was cut off as the door suddenly opened and Asuma and his team came in.

"Asuma-sensei! At least knock!" Ino whined though Asuma ignored her.

"How're you doing, Kakashi?"

Choji and Shikamaru came in as well, waving to me and going on to have their own conversations with Naruto and Sakura. I yawned, mouth wide, as Asuma took a seat by Kakashi and turned to everyone else.

"You guys go on ahead to Yakiniku Q. Team Kakashi, you three go with them."

Choji and Ino cheered, and Asuma smirked.

"I've something to talk about with Kakashi. So the Yakiniku's on me."

"Hey, hang on!" Naruto shouted. "Hey, hey! Kakashi-sensei, what about our training talk?!"

"Oh yeah. Hm… Right! Talk about it later."

"What?" Naruto whined. "You really had me all fired up."

They reluctantly left and I began to leave too, but Asuma stopped me.

"You're welcome to stay, Shi. You might want to hear it too."

I raised a brow, but nodded, coming over and reaching into the bag I had set down, pulling out a dumpling and handing it to Kakashi before taking one myself and offering another to Asuma, who took it.

"So what'd you want to talk about?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, you see—" Asuma was cut off then by a knock on the door.

Kurenai came in. "There you are."

"Oh, it's just Kurenai." Kakashi said. "You need something?"

"Well, I heard Asuma was here and so…" She left her sentence hanging and Kakashi and I turned to Asuma.

"Hm… Asuma, what'd you have to say?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh nothing. I'll just catch you when we have more time. Sorry."

Him and Kurenai left and we watched them go with sweatdrops.

"I want to know now." I muttered, taking a bite out of the dumpling.

"No kidding." Kakashi agreed, before turning to me as I sat in a chair nearby. "So what happened with Naruto and Sai earlier?"

"Sai is… not good with expressing himself."

"He's a lot like you first were, from what I heard."

I nodded. "He was not immediately accepted and had a… harsh mouth. Naruto was not as accepting as Sakura and I."

He nodded as well, book set down on his lap as he listened.

"He was soon accepted after their mission and today…" I smirked a bit. "He wished to come up with nicknames. Sakura teased Naruto, saying it should be based on characteristics and called him 'idiot Naruto'. Sai took this literally and called her 'ugly-dog'. Sakura was the one who hit them."

Kakashi nodded with a chuckle. "Sounds about right. And how are you? I heard you went on a mission as well?"

I nodded. "I cannot say much, but I was gathering information about Orochimaru."

"I see." He didn't push the issue, probably knowing that some information about missions were confidential. "Any problems with… you know."

I shook my head, placing a hand on my seal. "No. There was limited fighting on this mission. I last used it while fighting Sasori."

He sighed. "That's good."

"The nightmares though…" I trailed off, unsure why I was sharing this with him, turning away and scratching my slightly red cheek. "They've gotten worse."

"About Orochimaru?"

I nodded. "Him taking me back… and—"

"I won't let him take you again, Shi."

I looked over at Kakashi as he stared back seriously at me and felt… safe. Something I hadn't felt in a long while, even in my own apartment.

"K-Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"Why do I… feel safe around you?" I asked, genuinely curious as to the feelings I had been experiencing around Kakashi.

He gave me a closed-eye grin. "Well… maybe you like me."

I felt heat flood to my cheeks and turned away, pulling my scarf up to try and hide my blush, but a hand pulled it down away from my face, making to turn to see a smiling Kakashi.

"Is that a yes?"

I grew redder in the face, practically climbing over the back of my chair. "I-I don't—I mean, I can't—I understand but—I'm not good with these sorts of things!"

He chuckled, sitting back onto the bed. "That's obvious. I won't force you to though. If you don't want to that's fine."

I slowly sank back down into my chair, looking down at my lap, face still red. "I-I, um… I'm not very good with emotions and with everything that's going on…"

I could feel my stomach flip and nervousness crept in, but there was another emotion I felt stronger than the others and I realized it wasn't mine. It was Kakashi's and it was a deep heart wrenching sadness, one that made me sad and worried. And it was then that I understood, if only a little bit, of what Kakashi felt for me and how I felt for him.

"…but…I-I would like to, um, try it." I looked up, face still a bit red and a nervous closed-eye grin on my face. "If that's a-alright with you."

Kakashi chuckled and I felt the atmosphere lift, an overwhelming sense of relief washing over the both of us.

"Of course it's alright."

We both laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon just talking to one another about different things and enjoying ourselves. After a while though, I could feel myself wearing down; the multitude of missions and little amount of sleep getting to me. Kakashi was quick to notice though and, before I knew it, I had fallen asleep beside him.

* * *

Once Kakashi had woken me, it was already sometime into the next day and we just quickly stopped by our homes to change and head over to where we were supposed to meet Naruto for this special training Kakashi had promised. Once there, I was too tired to really pay attention to what Kakashi was explaining to Naruto. _Something about physical and spatial recomposition, and using kage-bunshin to shorten the amount of time spent learning a technique… doesn't have anything to do with me though._

"Shi!"

I cringed, feeling as though Kakashi had somehow read my thoughts, and glanced at him.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. "I got the gist of it, but what does it have to do with me?"

He sighed, dropping his head into his hand, before looking back up at me. "You are going to do a similar type of training, but with something different. Catch."

He tossed something at me and I caught it, looking at the three pronged kunai in confusion.

"Your training is going to be a bit different though." Kakashi said with a smile. "Because, while Naruto is coming up with a new jutsu, you are going to be learning an old one."

I raised a brow, tilting my head in confusion.

"No fair!" Naruto shouted, pointing at me. "How come Shi gets the easy job?!"

"She's not." Kakashi replied. "While this is an old jutsu, there is no one to teach it to her. Even _I_ only have limited knowledge on it and it's possible she won't even be able to do it."

If I wasn't confused enough before, I was now. "Why take that risk?"

Kakashi smiled a closed-eye smile. "Because I'm not the only one who believes that it's possible for you to figure it out. Jiraiya was the one who originally suggested it. That, and you'll also be coming up with a new jutsu as well."

I sighed, dropping my head at the amount of work I was going to have to do, while Naruto snickered next to me, stopping only when I hit him upside the head.

"Mah, well, I'm sure getting the hang of a new jutsu won't be as hard for you as it will be for Naruto." Kakashi said.

"Hey!"

It was my turn to snicker as Naruto frowned at me, as Kakashi went on.

"Though this it will be a problem should the kyuubi or your beast get out of control."

"That's why you're the only two who can do this kind of training, Naruto, Shi."

"Yamato-taichou!" Naruto called out as the man walked towards us.

"Kakashi asked me to help out with your training. You may need me to control their chakra, after all."

"I'm counting on you!" Naruto called out, whereas I nodded.

"Osu."

Yamato chuckled a bit with a sweatdrop and Kakashi went on to explain 'chakra manipulation' to Naruto. Upon discovering that his chakra nature was wind, Naruto grew confused about a few things.

"Then what sort of quality control is used in Yamato-taichou's wood techniques? And Shi's, uh… metal thingy?"

Kakashi whispered something to Yamato and he suddenly did some hand signs, making us look up as he built a rather large rock wall. He then created a waterfall and I nodded in understanding. _Wood is made by combining earth and water chakra natures._

"What?! Yamato-taichou has two too?!"

"Those in the jounin class usually have at least two. I can also control elements other than 'thunder'. Shi's a special case though. Shi?"

I looked at him and sighed, understanding what he wanted me to do. I pulled out two kunai, channeling electricity through one before adding wind, thus making it magnetic and dropping the other to show that it went to the magnetized one.

"Combining lightning and wind makes magnetic abilities." I muttered. "I can also use fire and water."

"Four?!"

Kakashi then went on to explain how the combining of the two chakra natures was considered a kekkei-genkai and that only certain people born into a bloodline could use them, making Naruto even more confused.

"Shi's got this too?!"

I turned my head away, not really liking where this conversation was heading, as my past was still something uncomfortable for me to talk about. Kakashi seemed to notice this and replied for me, trying to change the topic more near the end.

"Well, because of Shi's background, she's been given more than one of these abilities. Things that not even my sharingan could copy. I guess I should start explaining the training—"

"Then how about Shikamaru's kagemane and Choji's baika no jutsu? And how about medical ninjutsu and genjutsu?" Naruto questioned.

"Hm, it'll take a long time to explain those and if I explain it all at once, it'll confuse you so…"

Yamato also mentioned moving along to the training and soon Naruto had a bunch of clones out trying to cut a leaf. With him taken care of, Kakashi brought me over by Yamato who was already set up to keep the kyuubi's chakra under control.

"Now, you're training is different from Naruto's though you'll still be doing the kagebunshin training."

I nodded, looking back at the kunai Kakashi had given me.

"That," He said. "…is something that was given to me by my sensei, the fourth Hokage."

I looked up at him in surprise, looking back down at the kunai with a new perspective.

"Well, don't tell that to Naruto, or we'll have a problem on our hands."

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and I nodded with my own little smile, before noticing the odd markings on the handle of the kunai. _It looks like a seal of some sort… A summoning one, from the looks of it._

"You're going to teach me how to summon something?" I questioned, pointing out the markings on the handle. "It looks similar to a summoning seal used for summoning animals and people."

Kakashi looked surprised before giving me a closed-eye grin. "Seems we were right about telling you about this technique. Good knowledge of sealing was something that the fourth was known for and Jiraiya and I assumed it was the basis for this jutsu."

I was beginning to get annoyed at how Kakashi kept jumping around the topic of what this jutsu actually was and announced my annoyance.

"And what exactly _is_ this jutsu?"

Kakashi smirked. "It's known as the Flying Thunder God technique. From what I know, it's a space-time jutsu that allows you to enter a dimensional void that will transport you to the location of that seal."

My brows furrowed, looking down at the seal on the kunai in my hand, mind already racing. _I'll have to compare it to the summoning seal markings and see what differences they have. I'll also need to know how much chakra this requires, if I can transport other things with me, and if the seal can be physically placed on something by chakra or if it has to be written out. Not to mention all the technical details that will need to be worked out due to sealing being so detail oriented. It certainly is going to be a lot of book work._

"Hello?~"

I glanced up, finding Kakashi right in front of me, my cheeks turning red as he grinned again.

"I lost you for a minute there."

I nodded slowly. "Thinking."

He chuckled. "I figured as much. Though I'm sure you can multi-task, right?"

I sighed, nodding and summoning a good number of kagebunshin, already having an idea of what kind of new jutsu I could try out and as they set to work, I sent a clone to grab my notes on sealing from home and I headed off to see what I could find in the library. Needless to say, it was going to be a long while and a lot of brainwork before I even began to understand what I was getting myself into.

* * *

My clone soon returned with my notes and I moved off to another area not too far away and buried myself in them, trying to figure out how this technique worked, whereas my other clones went about trying to form something similar to the Rasengan that Naruto created. I had been around with him during his training, after all, and it had given me the idea of adding another chakra element to it. I figured a magnet one wouldn't do much as far as damage goes, so adding lightning to it would be pointless, as would adding water. So the only option left would be adding wind or fire. Since Naruto was working on wind and I wasn't too keen on stealing his jutsu, I decided to see what I could do with fire. Though trying to figure out the specifics of the regular Rasengan came first.

 _It should be just chakra control. From what I remember about Naruto's training, one needs to use dense chakra and move it in different directions while keeping it in a ball form. Naruto used a balloon and rubber ball, but it's similar to what I did to make the magnet rod… except instead of making the rod, I need to make a sphere and instead of lightning inside and wind outside, it needs to be chakra inside and out._ My clones all collectively sighed, earning a chuckle from Kakashi and Yamato, but they all went to work trying to form the Rasengan.

Hours past and with them doing that, I felt one step closer to figuring out how the Fourth Hokage's jutsu worked. I was right in thinking that it was similar to the summoning technique and found that the seals used in both were very similar, other than the shape of the seals. Summon seals were created by chakra, just as this one was, but the summon seal appeared in a circle and lines coming out of said circle. This seal though, was a small line of text. Both though, were able to transport things through a dimensional void to the seal, but this one did not require blood like the summon did. And all of this I figured out just by the writing in the seal and the shape of it. A real pain, but it was all I could come up with without anything to work with.

"Alright!" Kakashi called, the sun already beginning to set. "This would be a good time to regain the experience from your kagebunshins. Release your jutsu and reflect on your training."

Naruto dispersed his clones and I did the same, immediately feeling the back lash and collapsing backwards into my mountain of books and data. Both Naruto and I ended up passing out from the exertion, but I learned that my clones had just managed to get the Rasengan going, though they found it easier to do it with one hand versus Naruto, who needed a clone. _His chakra control is poor though, so it's to be expected. I've been working on chakra control my whole life here and my Beast Runner techniques requires a precise amount of different chakra elements, so I understand how chakra flows and moves better than he does. Though his probably has more power than mine._

When we both woke up, it was back to training and my clones were making sure that the Rasengan I created, though different from Naruto's, worked. One destroyed tree later, and they set about trying to add fire to it. Now, my Rasengan is _far_ different than Naruto's. His is made out of pure chakra whereas mine is made out of wind with a bit of chakra, just to help it keep shape. It's basically just controlling my chakra enough to keep sharp, violent wind currents in a ball formation. Hence, why Naruto's Rasengan does far more damage. When he hit a tree with his Rasengan, he created a circular crater. When _I_ hit a tree, I created a crater about a third of Naruto's but I also managed to knock the tree down due to the sheer violence of the wind contained in the sphere. These winds managed to slice through the tree, creating an 'X' that stretched out from the center of the crater. _Definitely an improvement._ I thought, going back to my research when Kakashi came over.

"How you doing?"

"Alright. I think I understand the basics, but applying them is going to be difficult." I muttered, flipping through one of the library books before closing it and tossing it to the side, a clone taking them to return them.

"And your other training?"

I gestured over to a clone that had just slammed, what I call, a Cross Sphere into a tree, knocking it down.

"It's not a Rasengan, but it's close. I'm going to add the next element soon."

Kakashi hummed before leaning down and pressing his cloth covered lips to my temple, making me stop and turn beet red as I looked up at his grinning face.

"A kiss for good luck."

He walked away then, me still staring at him with wide eyes, before one of my clones hit me on the back of my head.

"Come on. We've got work to do." It grumbled, though its face was slightly red as well.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts deciding that I, myself, needed some exercise and something to take my mind off things and switched with a clone to try and work on this new jutsu. The process of making the Cross Rasengan was fairly simple, though it did require a bit of time—something I'd need to work on—but I knew I was going to need to be careful when adding the fire. Wind, after all, increases the intensity of the flames, so getting burned in the process was something expected. _Though hopefully it won't be anything too bad. I'll start off with a small amount of flame and work my way up. That should keep the damage down to minimal._

Nodding to myself, I went ahead and created the Cross Rasengan in my hand and made flames in my other, moving to put them together when something unexpected happened. All I had was a split second to curse before the fire flared, scalding a good portion of my body before some of the clones around me doused me with water, one clone rushing off to get help as a good number disappeared due to also being hit by the blast and I got rid of the others to conserve energy. Although my clones had put out the flames fairly quickly, I knew that I wasn't in good shape. My whole body hurt, feeling as though those flames were still licking at my skin, and even a simple movement of my fingers sent waves of pain up my body. I begged my clone to hurry, already feeling myself beginning to slip into unconsciousness as I laid on the charred grass. I felt my clone disappear then, but was glad to know that Kakashi and Yamato were on their way.

I must have momentarily blacked out, because the next thing I knew, someone was calling out to me, and I opened an eye to see Kakashi and Yamato hurrying to my side. Kakashi immediately turned to Yamato telling him to get Tsunade to the hospital before reaching towards me, hands hovering over me as he hesitated. He was worried, that much I could tell, but he steeled himself and picked me up, sending more waves of pain as my body protested to the abrupt movement. I let out a whimper unconsciously, feeling the wind aggravate my burns as Kakashi carried me and hurried to the hospital, completely silent. I vaguely recall being brought into the hospital and Kakashi fighting with the nurses about only handing me over when Tsunade arrived. The last thing I remember after that, was Tsunade shaking her head at me.

" _You're always getting into trouble. Looks like you outdid yourself this time."_

I woke up feeling far better than before, but the moment I tried to move, I regretted it. Looking down at myself, I realized that both my arms were covered in bandages, as was the right side of my face, neck, chest and abdomen. _Seems the burns were worse than I thought, since not even Tsunade was able to heal me completely._ I winced, forcing myself to sit up and got up, moving over to where my clothes were and putting them on. Just as I finished, the door opened and I cringed as I recognized their scent and their burning gaze on the back of my head.

"And where do you think you're going?"

I turned to look at the angry Sakura with a nervous closed-eye grin. "Out?"

Sakura frowned, stomping forward and getting in my face. "You just woke up and have at least 35% of your body covered in burns and you're _leaving_?! I expected this from someone like Naruto!"

"Sorry." I muttered, when the door opened again and a grinning Kakashi and Tsunade entered, though Tsunade was rolling her eyes instead of grinning.

"Mah, don't be too hard on her, Sakura."

Sakura backed off a bit, bowing and greeting Tsunade before leaving, giving me a small glare, though I could see the worry lacing her face. _I made her upset… I'll have to make it up to her later…_ I let out a small sigh and wandered back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it as Tsunade gave me a serious look.

"So do you care to explain what you were doing that caused this much damage, Shi?"

I nodded, pulling a bandaged hand through my hair. "I miscalculated. I made something similar to Rasengan only it was made out of wind instead of chakra. I went to progress it further by adding a small amount of flame, but it took to the wind more than I expected and when it reached the center, it expanded too quickly for me to react. I believe I understand what I need to do now, and wish to return to training… if I could."

Tsunade sighed, muttering about how I was far too much like Naruto, and narrowed her eyes at me. "I'll allow you to for now, however, the damage you've done to your body is still very severe. You're lucky that you put out the fire so quickly, but you still managed to get third degree burns on your arms, face, and torso. I've done what I could for now and you'll have to come back every day for the next few days for me to check on the burns and heal them up more to prevent scarring, but I already know that there will be scarring on your hands, as they took the brunt of the damage." She reached into her pocket and handed Kakashi a small bottle. "Make sure she puts this on her hands every day until the bottle runs out. I doubt she'll actually do it if I just give the salve to her."

Tsunade gave me a look and I chuckled nervously, before pointing to my face. "And this?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're lucky your face only got second degree burns. It'll heal up in a few days."

I nodded, getting up as she left, and turned to Kakashi, only for him to shove me up against the wall suddenly, making my heart race out of control out of fear and confusion.

"K-Kakashi?"

He had me pinned, my panic rising as my eyes desperately searched for an escape, when he suddenly let out a deep breath, dropping his head on my shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that…" He said quietly.

The panic I had slowly began to fade, but I was still on edge and my voice caught up with me before my mind did.

"S-Says you! Kami…"

I felt my body shake, in the aftermath of the adrenaline rush, and didn't expect Kakashi to pull me into a hug, pressing his cloth-covered lips to my temple once more. At this point, I didn't mind it, I was still in the process of calming down as Kakashi muttered quiet apologies, but it still hurt a bit. We soon pulled apart, me a nice red shade and Kakashi with a small grin, before we headed out. But right before we left the hospital, I reached to pull my scarf up only to remember that I hadn't found it with my clothes. Kakashi saw this and reached into his vest, pulling out my scarf, or… what was left of it.

"I'm sorry, Shi. There wasn't much I could do."

He held it out to me and I took it, a hand brushing over the cloth that was now not much longer than half a foot, the edges singed and frayed. My chest hurt, a deep sadness welling up in me upon seeing what had happened to my most prized possession and knowing that it couldn't be replaced.

"I, uh, brought you one of my masks though." Kakashi said, passing me a folded bundle that I didn't realize he had.

I nodded my thanks, using one of the hospital bathrooms to put it on, and coming back out. I was still pretty upset about the whole thing and Kakashi didn't push it, instead choosing to tell me about Naruto's progress to try and get my mind off it. I appreciated the gesture, but said nothing the whole way there, quickly absorbing myself back into my studies, planning on letting my clones deal with the explosive nature of the Flaming Rasengan. As I worked on figuring out the Flying Thunder God technique, I could feel clones disappearing from the intensity of the other jutsu and the information and stress they had began to gather up until I had an idea.

"A spark… If using actual fire is too much, no matter how much I use, then a spark should be the only other option."

I called one of my clones over, explaining this to them and sending it off to tell the others. As it went and did that, I stood up and held the kunai Kakashi had given me and holding up two others that were unmarked. I had a clone get them for me while it was out, on the assumption that the seal on the one I currently had only reacted to the fourth's chakra and wouldn't work for me. Holding the two and setting the other one on a stack of books nearby, I focused my chakra, making a new seal on the two kunai and checking to make sure it was written correctly. Satisfied so far, I tossed the kunai into a tree a few feet away and held the other marked one, taking a deep breath. _Hopefully, this works._ _If not… then back to square one._

I focused my chakra and suddenly, I was in front of the tree where the kunai was, though my stomach was churning and I was on the ground on my backside, feeling like I had been pulled off the back of Shoji while he was galloping full speed. I couldn't help but smile though, falling onto my back laughing. I had done it. Not perfectly, but I could do it. I could figure out the specifics, find out what I did wrong. I could improve and that… that was all I needed at the moment. Something to brighten my day.

"You slacking off already?"

I glanced up and was met by Kakashi, grinning and holding out a hand to help me up. I took his hand and once back up on my feet, I shook my head and gave him a grin.

"I did it."

His eyes widened. "You… did?"

I nodded, pointing at the kunai behind me. "It needs some tweaking, but I went from my stack of books to here. Too much chakra though, I think. I feel like someone punched me in the stomach while running full speed."

I felt a little sick now that I was standing and felt myself pale, alerting Kakashi, who had me sit down on the grass in front of him.

"I'm actually just surprised you got it this fast. Let alone managed to actually do it."

I gave him a look and he chuckled.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just that Jiraiya and I both haven't been able to figure it out, so you must have figured out something me didn't."

"Hm." I hummed, a hand over my stomach that still complained. "I suppose. The specifics are a pain to figure out. Like I said, it needs some tweaking. Maybe to the seal itself?"

"Well I'm sure you'll figure it out, Shi."

I let out a soft sigh and glanced towards the trees that he'd come from. "How's Naruto doing?"

"He's still working on trying to cut the waterfall. Although, we did allow him to add a lot more clones so I expect he'll figure it out soon. How's your other jutsu?"

"Let me see." I said, dispersing one of my clones to get the information and smirking. "Looks like I was right."

Kakashi tilted his head in confusion and curiosity. "About?"

"I couldn't figure out why my clones kept being blown away no matter how little fire I used, so I thought about the smallest amount possible. A spark."

Kakashi started to smile as I gave him a closed-eye grin. "So you've got it then?"

I nodded, standing up and concentrating, forming the Cross Rasengan first and then snapping my fingers with the other hand, creating a spark that caught fire to the ball and I slammed it into a nearby tree, watching as it not only created a scorching crater in it, but also exploded into the tree, knocking it down and leaving it smoldering. I looked down at my hand, flexing it with a slight wince, the burns from earlier complaining at the movement, but my hand overall was okay other than the soot covering the bandages after that last move.

"Good work." Kakashi said, coming over and wrapping his arms around my waist, making me tense and glance back at him with a small glare.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" He asked, innocently.

I pushed his arms off me, trying and failing to ignore the sad look he had. "Stop… trapping me." I murmured, quietly.

"Shi, I'm not trapping you." Kakashi said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"I-I know. It's… affection, but…" I closed my eyes, memories of Kabuto and Orochimaru holding me down flashing in my skull. "It's not easy after… after what happened."

"Okay. We'll take it slow." Kakashi said, reassuring me. "I'm in no rush."

I nodded when we suddenly hear cheering coming from where Naruto and Yamato were at and Kakashi sighed.

"Sounds like Naruto's finally done it. You can go ahead and release your clones, Shi."

I raised a brow. "Are you sure? You're going to have to help me back."

Kakashi gave me a small smile. "Yeah. Go ahead. I'm sure Naruto will need a break too and I don't mind."

I nodded, dispersing my clones and almost immediately feeling the strain, Kakashi draping my arm over his shoulder and helping me out to the open where Naruto and Yamato were. He sat me down on the grass by Yamato before telling Naruto about moving on with his training, when Naruto suddenly collapsed, making Kakashi appear at his side in worry. Turns out, Naruto collapsed because he was hungry and, with those words spoken, my own stomach decided to make itself known and it was unanimously decided that food was our next trip. I was helped most of the way by Kakashi, having been far more exhausted than Naruto, who was known for his stamina. When we arrived at Ichiraku's place though, we all got a not so pleasant surprise.

"What? Where's Ayame?" Kakashi asked, looking at the two guys before us, missing the usual waitress.

And I kind of did too, to be honest.

"She's on vacation. These guys are new hires."

"I'm Nishi!"

"I'm Matsu!"

Naruto could care less, as did I. Both of us slumped over on our stools just begging for food. Naruto got his first, mine taking a bit longer, but when the man set the bowl down, I noticed he put his finger in it and frowned. Naruto got excited and went to eat it, but the boss took it away and scolded the man for putting his finger in it. He then made the other hire make another one, only for him to trip and spill it all over the place. They were scolded again, the two taking cover behind Kakashi, before Ichiraku finally got around to making our food, Naruto and I digging in with vigor. When we finished it though, Kakashi said he had some things to explain to Naruto and we returned to the training ground for him to do that.

While he told Naruto about the Rasengan being incomplete and such, I made a few more clones—once Yamato was set up—and began working on fixing what I had done wrong with the fourth's technique. I had made sure to grab a few more kunai on the way back and my clones tried everything I could think of to reduce the amount of strain that using this jutsu caused. Less chakra released the burden a little, but there was still something off and I picked up one of the kunai and looked over the seal carefully. _What did I mess up on? The seal has to be slightly different in order to work with my chakra, but did that effect the formula somehow?_ I narrowed my eyes, going over every character before I found it.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." I muttered, a sweatdrop forming.

"Something wrong, Shi?" Kakashi said, having gotten away from Naruto now that he had his clones set up and was trying to add wind to his Rasengan.

I held up the kunai, pointing a finger at one of the characters. "What do you see here?"

He looked closer and put a hand to his chin. "The kanji for 'collect'?"

I shook my head with a frown. "No. That is the kanji for 'small'. It's _supposed_ to be the kanji for 'collect'."

He too sweatdropped and glanced up at me, wincing when he saw how angry I was. I could feel the frustration building, grey chakra forming over me and Kakashi quickly backed off as Yamato went to contain me. His wooden pillars launched forward, grabbing my limbs in their mouth and slamming me into the ground, slowly stopping my aggressive chakra from forming, before I passed out from chakra exhaustion; my last thought being… _Such a stupid mistake…_


	11. Chapter 11

When I woke up, I sat up on the grass with a sigh, putting a hand to my head as Kakashi approached with a closed-eye grin.

"Finally awake, I see. I wouldn't have expected you to let the beast out of control over something like a spelling error."

I frowned at him, glaring. "Shut it."

He chuckled as I got up, passing me a dumpling, which I heartily ate before stretching and pulling out a blank kunai, making sure I spelled everything right this time when I marked it. Yamato cast his gaze my way as I tossed the newly marked kunai into a tree a ways away and I focused my chakra, instantly feeling a little tugging sensation before finding myself in front of the tree where my kunai lay embedded. Kakashi and Yamato looked at me with wide eyes in shock, as I hummed, rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck.

"Hm, far better landing." I muttered.

"T-That was the fourth's technique…" Yamato stuttered out, mouth open in shock.

Kakashi though, just gave that same old closed-eye grin. "Good job, Shi. Now you can move on to the next step."

I raised a brow. "Next step?"

He nodded, smirking and pulling out his own kunai. "Using it in practical combat."

I groaned, before dodging his kunai and being forced to have to fight him, though the rules were that I had to use the Flying Thunder God technique to move around and my new Flaming Rasengan at some point to attack. The fight was long and exhausting, but I was beginning to get the hang of using the new technique and even learned that I could place the seal on actual people and objects as well, seeing as it didn't take too long to place the seal, only a second at most now that I knew what I was doing.

As the fight went on though, Kakashi began using jutsu as well, having been sticking to taijutsu for the most part. But with his lightning techniques, I got to test the durability of my Flaming Rasengan against electricity, thankfully not having too much trouble with it, though Kakashi and I both ended up with burned hands—earning another trip to the hospital where Tsunade scolded us. After we returned and continued fighting though, I suddenly stopped, looking up in the sky as rain started to fall, eyes narrowed. Kakashi though was in front of me in an instant with a kunai to my throat, catching me in my distraction.

"You shouldn't do that, Shi. I could've killed you right now."

I continued to look up, brows furrowed, and Kakashi put his kunai away in curiosity.

"What's up, Shi?"

"Something's wrong." I muttered.

Kakashi raised a brow. "With Naruto?"

I shook my head. "No. Something else."

I closed my eyes then, smelling the air, but caught nothing that could help me figure out why my stomach was churning in unease. I opened my eyes with a sigh, but still had that feeling, which apparently caused Kakashi some worry.

"Well, I think you're about done with training for now. Can't exactly fight with you distracted." He said with a sigh. "Let's go back and check on Naruto. We got a bit further away than I expected."

I nodded and we walked back to where Yamato was watching over Naruto, just in time to see one of Naruto's clones going kyuubi.

"Yamato-taichou! Help!" He called out.

"Tenzou, it's coming." Kakashi said, looking somewhat nervous.

"Damn!"

"You want me to help, Yamato?" I asked, eyes narrowed at Naruto.

"If you could. He's just out of range."

I nodded, gathering my dark chakra and transforming, bounding over and grabbing the Naruto clone in my mouth, tossing him out of the group of clones and in front of Yamato, who quickly launched his wood pillars at it, stopping the clone as Naruto made them disappear.

"Phew." Naruto sighed out of relief, wiping rain and sweat off his face.

" _ **You alright?"**_ I asked, the same moment Kakashi hurried over as well.

Naruto though, pouted, making me sigh and nudge him with my large muzzle.

" _ **Oi. You're doing good."**_

Kakashi nodded. "Shi's right. Since we entered the training to add wind manipulation to the Rasengan, it's been one whole day. Using approximately 200 kagebunshin. If we sum up the hours of training as one person, it's 4,800 hours. Still nowhere near enough."

"But this training… The chakra control is too hard and 200 kagebunshin is the max." Naruto said, not looking satisfied. "It feels like… I'll never be able to do it."

I frowned, laying down beside Naruto and Kakashi.

"To begin with, creating the Rasengan takes a ton of concentration and then to add nature manipulation on top of that is impossible."

Annoyed at Naruto's sudden lack of energy and confidence, I opened my mouth and began chewing on his head.

"Ah! Shi! L-Let go!"

I did so, snorting and licking my chops. _**"Still taste like Naruto, but you sure don't sound like him."**_

Naruto lowered his head. "But… just this time, it's impossible."

"You still have to do it." Kakashi said, making Naruto angry.

"When you're looking right and you're told to look left at the same time, can you do it, Kakashi-sensei?!"

 _Like crossing your eyes?_ I mused, not willing to actually do it, for fear of looking idiotic.

"I see… So that's what it is. Then it's not impossible."

I gave Kakashi a look, when he created a kagebunshin, one looking right and the other looking left.

"While looking right…"

"…look left. This is what you mean, right?"

Realization dawned on Naruto's face and he jumped up with renewed vigor.

"That's it!"

I tilted my head in confusion, before looking over at Kakashi who smiled, getting rid of his clone.

"Looks like he figured something out."

I nodded, getting up and stretching, before thinking of something. _I wonder if I could use the fourth's technique in this form… Might as well try it._ I glanced at the kunai that was still lodged in the tree over by Yamato and focused my chakra. I still ended up in front of the kunai, but it used up a _lot_ of chakra and I immediately flopped on the ground with my tongue hanging out.

" _ **Uwah… That was a lot of chakra."**_

Kakashi popped up in front of me, patting my muzzle with a grin. "You okay there?"

I nodded, changing back to my usual self, the rain having let up. "Seems that the size of things determines how much chakra is needed to send them to the seal."

Kakashi hummed, a hand on his chin. "Have you tried moving other people?"

"No."

"Then here. Take me to that kunai." He said, pointing to another kunai across the way.

I nodded, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder before focusing my chakra. It took more than I was used to for transporting myself alone, but far less than what it took to move my other form. I grinned, pleased with my accomplishments so far and Kakashi pat me on the head.

"Alright. Now let's replace those bandages. I don't need the Hokage coming after me for neglecting you."

I made a face, but followed him to where Yamato was and sat on the ground beside Kakashi so he could undo my bandages. Once that was taken care of, we turned our attention back to Naruto who was now standing with two other clones, a smaller Rasengan in their hands that was releasing a high pitched noise that really bothered my sensitive ears.

"Yes! I'm finally getting the hang of it!"

Kakashi got up and headed over with me, as I looked it over.

"Mmm, so you used one clone for each process."

"That's right! I just need to add a third me to do with wind nature manipulation. If you can't look left and right at the same time, then you need a bunshin to look left and one to look right. All you have to do is assign each a single duty."

"So my kagebunshin earlier gave you a hint." Kakashi mused. "You really are the number one unexpected ninja… Naruto, for some reason I'm beginning to really like you."

Kakashi grinned, but Naruto and his two clones freaked out, being launched away due to the Rasengan and their sudden loss of concentration.

"Don't say something sick like that! You idiot! The jutsu I finally got blew up 'cause of the surprise! You should be saying something like that to Shi!"

I flushed a bright red as Naruto slapped his hands over his mouth, his clones disappearing. Kakashi though, seemed almost happy at what he said, wrapping an arm around my waist with a chuckle.

"Mah, looks like the jig is up, Shi. We've been caught."

I turned to him and narrowed my eyes. "It's your fault."

"Eh?!" Naruto shouted, pointing at us in shock. "Y-You two are together?!"

"Yup!" Kakashi said with a closed-eye grin.

I face palmed, knowing that now that Naruto knew, it was going to be around the whole village. Just then though, someone appeared in front of Yamato and I gave them a look, frown marring my features as that sick feeling returned.

"What is it…" Naruto said quietly.

"Kakashi! We need to suspend the training and return to the village right now!" Yamato shouted.

"What?!"

I narrowed my eyes. "What happened?"

"…Asuma Sarutobi… has died."

My eyes widened and my throat tightened, bowing my head and clenching my fists with a muttered curse. _Shikamaru…_ The four of us returned to the village and dressed in mourning clothes to attend Asuma's funeral, but I didn't head there. Instead, I headed to where Shikamaru's scent was, finding him in a field smoking a cigarette and looking up at the clouds. Staying silent, I sat down beside him and looked up at the clouds as well. After a moment, Shikamaru bumped his hand into my arm, holding out a cigarette that I took. He sat up and lit it for me with Asuma's lighter, and I took a deep breath, sighing as the smoke left my lungs. The two of us sat there, just watching the clouds pass by for a while before Shikamaru got up and I did as well. We didn't say anything and went our separate ways, us both returning home. What I didn't expect was who was waiting for me when I returned.

I looked at Kakashi standing in front of my apartment door and he didn't say anything, just as I didn't. I wasn't at the funeral, which I'm sure he knew, but my way of mourning for Asuma was different than his and everyone else. Whereas they attended a funeral and cried, I stayed silent and instead revisited the people they hurt the most when they left. I would've gone to Kurenai, but I felt that Shikamaru would have it just as bad and that he would handle his grief in a more… quiet way than Kurenai. I couldn't stand people who cried. It hurt just watching them.

Kakashi though, he understood. He didn't say anything about me missing the funeral or the cigarette than hung from my lips. He just went into my kitchen and began cooking something as I sat on the couch and leaned my head back, closing my eyes. _It's not like I haven't had people die before. Though I haven't had anyone close to me die in a long while… aside from the Third._ I sighed, smoke drifting up as I opened my eyes and headed towards the bathroom to shower. I let the cigarette get snuffed out by the cascading water, and tried to make myself relax. After a while, I gave up on this fruitless task and went into my room to change.

As I put on my clothes, I remembered that I didn't have my scarf anymore and grew even more depressed as I put on one of my usual shirts, planning on having Kakashi's masked shirt washed in the meantime. Once I left the hall, I sat at the table with Kakashi, eating whatever it was he cooked, being too out of it to really notice what it was. When I finished, I headed towards my bedroom, but Kakashi stopped me with a hand on my wrist. We didn't exchange any words, but I followed him to the couch, sitting down with him and allowing him to hold me.

I don't know when I eventually fell asleep in Kakashi's arms, but when I woke up, he was gone. I sighed quietly to myself and slowly got up before redoing the bandages on my hands and following his scent. What I found, was odd. _Kakashi left the village?_ As I stood at the gates, I also caught Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji's scent and frowned, immediately heading to the Hokage's office. _They went after Asuma's killer. This isn't good. It doesn't matter who they're dealing with, the Akatsuki is a group of extremely dangerous people and if they got one of the upper tier members…_ I stopped my thoughts there and focused some of my chakra, immediately appearing in front of the hospital where I had left one of my marked kunai just in case. It was nearby the Hokage's office and I quickly hurried there, being sure to leave a marked kunai outside here as well, and didn't bother knocking on the Hokage's door before hurrying in.

"Hokage. Sorry. Kakashi—"

"Yes, yes. I know." She said with a sigh. "I let Team Ten go with Kakashi. There was no convincing them otherwise."

"Could I—"

"We were actually just talking about that." Tsunade said, cutting me off and turning to Sakura. "Sakura, go tell Yamato to complete Naruto's new jutsu in 24 hours. And that if they can't do that, we'll send a different team."

"Yes ma'am." She said, but hesitated, looking at me. "What about Shi?"

Tsunade smirked. "What do you think?"

I nodded, deadly serious. "I'm ready."

"Good."

Sakura left and I went to go as well, but Tsunade stopped me.

"And Shi?"

I glanced over my shoulder at her.

"I suggest you wear the mask."

I frowned, not pleased even though I understood why she was telling me to. "I won't be able to fight then. Not if I want to keep my identity a secret from Kakashi and the others."

Tsunade sighed. "Fine. Wear the mask, but be sure that none of them give any mention as to who you are should your cover be blown. I would rather the Akatsuki didn't find out about you."

I nodded, easily able to hide the small smirk under my mask and focused my chakra, ending up at my house where I quickly packed. Once that was done, I hurried to the gate and summoned Shoji, who sighed at the prospect of another trip through the woods.

"You know, you _could_ just walk." He complained as I dropped the occasional marked kunai.

I rolled my eyes, sitting low on his back as a low hanging branch flew over my head. "But then I wouldn't have such _thrilling_ conversations with you."

He snorted and as we approached where the battle was happening, I stabbed a marked kunai into the tree beside me and sent him off silently, placing my fox mask on and analyzing the scene from where I was at. _Kakashi and Ino are hiding behind those dead trees. Choji and Shikamaru are together, Shikamaru's shadow holding one of the Akatsuki and Choji having just attacked the other._ I looked at the two Akatsuki and narrowed my eyes, searching through my mind for any information I knew on them. _The one Shikamaru has… that's the one that killed Asuma. I can still smell his blood on the man's weapon. Barely, but it's there. I believe he's Hidan and the other is Kakuzu._ I closed my eyes, thinking. _I don't know much about him. Him and Hidan are both S-rank and, if I remember correctly, are known as the two immortals. Hidan has some sort of ritual that he uses to kill his victims, but Kakuzu I don't know about. I've heard everything from stealing hearts to a steel body._

"This is going to be difficult." I murmured so softly that even I could barely hear myself.

I noticed the dust finally settled and spotted Kakuzu standing there unharmed, his body a dark shade of grey. _So he_ does _have a steel body?_

"His jutsu is probably hardening his body. That's his power." Shikamaru said, confirming what I had been thinking.

"You're analyzing well. That's right, no physical attack will work against me."

 _Not unless it's ridiculously strong or catches him off guard._

"Alright. It's time to counter Kakuzu. Hurry up and do something about this jutsu." Hidan said, just as Kakashi came out from his hiding place and used Raikiri—his enhanced and concentrated Chidori—to stab right through Kakuzu's chest. _Good job, Kakashi._ I thought with a smirk.

"Can't be… from behind me, without even a presence…"

"Your jutsu to harden your body from the deal you used earlier, it's an Earth element manipulation." Kakashi replied.

"You saw through… the speed of my seals and a lightning release of this degree… that's it! You're—"

"Earth is weak against lightning. You weren't compatible." Kakashi said. "It's the end."

My brows furrowed as Choji and Shikamaru spoke.

"That's Kakashi-sensei for you!"

"It would have been a problem if we didn't get rid of him to start with."

 _No kidding, but it seems a bit too easy for Kakuzu being a so-called immortal._

"Kakashi-sensei!" Shikamaru called out and I immediately prepared a marked kunai as Kakashi pulled his hand out of Kakuzu and charged up another Raikiri.

"One stab in the heart, huh? Don't go getting yourself killed so easily! Stupid!" Hidan mocked, but it felt off to me.

 _He's completely unconcerned. Even if they hate each other, like Deidara and Sasori, if the other was killed they knew they were in trouble. Yet he's unaffected. Something's definitely up._ I watched as Kakashi went to kill Hidan, but caught movement from Kakuzu and quickly threw my kunai towards him; it just barely skimming past Shikamaru's head. Just as Kakuzu stood and delivered a kick to Kakashi, I focused my chakra and flashed to the kunai that had just gotten behind Kakashi, catching him and keeping us from hitting the dead tree by focusing chakra into my feet and grey chakra into my hand, forming a claw that dug into the dirt and stopped us—hiding the grey chakra before the dust could settle. Kakashi looked over at me in shock, spotting the mask and quickly shutting his mouth before he could give me away, which I appreciated.

"Who's that?!" Choji shouted, looking at me wide eyed.

"That's not important right now." I said, loud enough that they could all hear me.

"My feelings exactly." Hidan said, unzipping his cloak, throwing it off to reveal numerous stitches and four masks on his back, which burst from him and formed four creatures behind him.

"How? I hit his vitals…" Kakashi muttered out as I released him and stood up.

"It's rumored that the two of them are _both_ immortal." I replied. "Perhaps those masks have something to do with Kakuzu being such."

I glanced down where Hidan was and frowned behind my mask as Shikamaru reached his limit and his shadow returned to him. _Shikamaru is low on chakra too. This is going to be difficult even if I'm here. It's still five against five, but Shikamaru's low on chakra and Ino is primarily a healer. Kakashi will be reaching his limit too with his sharingan out… but we have to hold out. At least until Naruto and the others get here._

"Kakashi." I said, catching his attention without taking my eyes off the enemy. "We can't each take one. Shikamaru's low on chakra and Ino is our medic, not a fighter. We need to separate Kakuzu from Hidan. In Akatsuki, the pairs are chosen for a reason. They work well together."

He nodded as one of the creatures groaned and appeared to melt, the only one with the broken mask.

"Hey, hey, hey! One of them is dead! You suck!"

"I was right." I murmured, catching Kakashi's attention once more. "Each of those masks is its own life. And he can probably take in one of the masks should he lose his own life. Five lives in total…"

"Hidan. Stand back. I'll take care of this." Kakuzu said.

"The hell I will! I've been waiting for this moment ever since I've been getting caught out!" Hidan smirked, tilting his head up. "Let's do the usual."

"Hmph."

Kakuzu suddenly did some hand signs and Kakashi and I prepared ourselves, but were barely able to dodge when Hidan attacked, swinging his scythe at us. I noticed something come up behind him though and both our eyes widened. Grabbing a hold of Kakashi, I focused my chakra and felt a tugging sensation just as the creature attacked with a huge wind release.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Everyone was pushed back, though they were still a bit away from where I had flashed Kakashi and myself, cringing because I hesitated just slightly and one of my hands caught some of the damage, now bleeding through my bandages a bit.

"You alright?"

I nodded. "It's nothing. But…" I glanced at him, eyes soft behind my mask. "Don't let them know it's me. I need to keep it hidden for as long as I can."

He nodded. "Fox then?"

"Yeah… Shall we?"

He smirked under his mask and we hurried back to the others just in time to see the lightning attack headed Shikamaru and Choji's way. Kakashi stopped one with his Raikiri and I stopped the other, deflecting it around Shikamaru and myself with my sword—that was covered in lightning.

"Sensei!"

Kakashi's glove burned off from the sheer amount of power behind the attack, whereas I winced, the edge of my shoulders having come into contact with the lightning due to the thinness of my sword. _I'm getting hurt all over today. Best keep my guard up a bit better now._

"Kakashi. How many elements has he shown so far?"

"Three. Earth, wind, and lightning."

I frowned. _But there was five creatures. If we figure that each one has a different element, then the last one is either fire or water._

"Sensei, are you okay?" Ino asked, having jumped to our sides.

"Yeah… Somewhat."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at me, cautious and I spoke up, if only to ease some of the tension between all of us.

"The Hokage sent me. I'm Anbu. Just… call me Fox."

I looked away, but kept Kakashi in my sights as he nodded to Shikamaru and the others. "He can be trusted."

I felt my lip twitch up in a smirk at that—and the fact that he, like Yamato, went along with changing my gender—and focused my attention on Kakuzu and his creatures, not worried about Hidan for the moment. _That's usually how it works. They either work together to attack, or Kakuzu tries to create an opening for Hidan to do his ritual._

"You're the first ones to survive that, Fox, Kakashi Hatake… You saw it coming with the sharingan and somehow managed to escape with your reflexes… How about this one?"

Kakuzu did a hand sign and one of the creatures launched a fire ball out, creating a barrier of fire that launched out at us. Kakashi jumped one way and the rest of us jumped our own ways before meeting back up where we were not a minute ago, Kakashi having been attacked by Hidan when he jumped.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?" Choji asked.

"Yeah…"

I could tell he was thinking about his options, what with him having used three of his four Raikiri already and his sharingan still active. I too, was trying to think up something and frowned. _Kakuzu is smart. I'm betting he'll combine his creatures soon and that won't be good. Especially since I know first-hand what sort of destruction the elements combined can do._

"Their teamwork is good." Ino commented, whereas Choji narrowed his eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei's Raikiri earlier, hit its mark for sure. So why isn't he dead?"

I took over speaking, giving Kakashi time to try and think up a strategy. "Each mask has a life of its own. Kakashi killed one of them, but there were four masks and his own body in total. So there's four left. Each one has its own elemental attribute; lightning, fire, wind, and himself, earth. I'm assuming that the one Kakashi destroyed before was water."

Shikamaru nodded. "Earlier when he took out the shadow imitation shuriken and escaped, it was the same. The arm that was separated from the main body had something like a heart attached to it. It moved on its own."

"So what does that mean?"

"He has five hearts. Five lives." I said. "We need to kill him five times, but Kakashi already killed one. So four more to go."

"So you figured it out." Kakuzu said. "Each of those hearts were taken from shinobi who I previously fought with. They're replaceable… with _your_ hearts."

 _I suppose there were truth to those rumors after all._

"Shikamaru, Fox… how do we fight them?" Kakashi asked, glancing back at the two of us.

"We need to get Hidan away from Kakuzu and fight in two teams." I said clearly, earning a nod from Shikamaru.

"First, we stop their combined assaults. Then we concentrate the attacks on the one we can defeat if we kill him four more times."

"That means we need someone to stop that Hidan guy." Kakashi said, following Shikamaru's logic.

"I'll do it." Ino said. "I'm the one who's conserved the most chakra until now… besides Fox. Plus, I'm no use in simple combat. Using the mind transfer jutsu—"

"No." Shikamaru interrupted. "To begin with, the mind transfer is part of a combo jutsu used only after I've stopped the opponent's movements with the shadow imitation. If you miss, you won't be able to return to your body for several minutes. The risk is too high."

Ino bowed her head, understanding what he was saying.

"You need to do it, Shikamaru." I said, earning a surprised look from him. "Capture him with your shadow imitation and move him elsewhere. That's probably the only way."

He nodded, but Kakashi brought up a valid point. "But how are you going to capture him. Either way, you're going to need a distraction."

"Then I'll be the bait." Choji said.

I shook my head. "No good. A close ranged attack won't work on him. It would need to be long ranged and Shikamaru's the only one who can do that safely."

"He's right. If he attacks you and gets even a little of your blood, then it's all over for you. It's out of the question for us to go in and attack him ourselves. Choji, conserve your chakra so that you can destroy the masked one later with Kakashi-sensei and Fox."

"What the hell are you whispering about?!" Hidan suddenly shouted. "Let's do this already!"

Shikamaru faced the front, eyes determined. "I'll capture him by myself and I'll be the one to do that part."

I smirked, turning my eyes towards the enemy once more. _Asuma… you've certainly raised a smart kid._ Shikamaru moved to the front and soon began using his shadow to try and go after the enemy.

"That again! Are you that afraid of my powers and my scythe, huh?!" Hidan shouted, him and Kakuzu jumping away from the quick moving tendrils. "Attacking like that from far away. It's pathetic!"

Kakuzu went to move in, but Kakashi and I jumped before him.

"Too bad." I hummed, drawing my sword and covering it with lightning.

"We're your opponents!" Kakashi called out.

It wasn't long before Shikamaru managed to trap Hidan in his jutsu and get him to leave his scythe and run off into the forest, leaving the rest of us with Kakuzu, who seemed unperturbed.

"None of you are going with them? You're underestimating Hidan. That kid Shikamaru could have had a large bounty on his head one day, but he's going to die today… However, your judgment was correct. I am strong… there's too much of a gap in the battle experience between you guys and myself. When I look at your forehead protectors, it reminds me of the first Konoha shinobi I fought with… the First Hokage."

I raised a brow, but basically understood what he was saying without all the shock that the others around me were presenting.

"You're truly immortal…" Kakashi said in shock.

"No." I said, face slowly etching into a frown as a dark evil laughter started echoing in my head.

" _I'll become immortal one day, mutt. And with you at my side… hn hn hn… I'll be unstoppable."_

"Oh?"

"There's no such thing as immortality."

"You're right… Have you figured it out already?"

I felt my lips turning up into a snarl as I practically growled at the man. "You stole other people's hearts and replaced your own… postponing your death."

He let out a chuckle. " _Good_. You're as smart as that Shikamaru kid… The number of hearts I can stock is five, including my own. Kakashi, the heart you destroyed, I'll replace it with yours and if not… well, I'll take Fox's heart instead."

I felt my dark chakra riling up inside me, but held it back for now, knowing I couldn't blow my cover just yet. It was then that I noticed the fire and wind creatures combining and my previous thoughts came true as the two of them launched a combined fire and wind attack at Kakashi and myself. Kakashi used Water Formation Wall in an attempt to block the attack, but I knew it would do nothing but create steam; the combined power of fire and wind being too much for a simple water technique. I went to grab him and pull him out of there, but black tendrils suddenly appeared to my right and from below him and I quickly threw a marked kunai his direction, him catching it as I created a clone who flashed him to my other kunai, myself being grabbed by the tendrils and slammed into the ground; my breath being thrown from my lungs by the impact.

"Fox!" I heard Kakashi shout.

"Your heart is mine now." Kakuzu said, stabbing a number of tendrils into me to hold me still.

"N-Not… quite." I breathed out, going to gather my dark chakra, but I didn't have to before Kakuzu began clutching at his chest.

"Kuh… C-Can't be…"

"Oh yes, it can." Kakashi called out from behind me. "We used your blood. Shikamaru knew your partner used blood for his technique so he prepared a blood capsule beforehand."

"Impossible… When… How did you get… an opening?"

I smirked now, understanding what happened. "When he punched a hole through your chest… You guys are underestimating Shikamaru… there's no way the information Asuma died to get would go to waste once he has it."

Kakuzu collapsed and I sat up with a grunt, reaching over and pulling the tendrils from myself as Kakashi and the other two hurried forward.

"Fox! You alright?"

"Gently!" Ino scolded. "I'll treat you with the medical ninjutsu immediately."

I shook my head. "No. We're not done yet."

Sure enough, the two creatures left over charged towards us, Choji hurrying to the front and using his expansion technique to slam them both into the ground.

"Good one Choji!" Ino called out, but I knew it wasn't over yet.

"Not yet!" I shouted, standing quickly and making sure everyone was within arm's reach. "He's combining them with himself!"

"You… how _dare_ you…" Kakuzu said, standing up now that his stitches were bursting and he combined with his two creatures. "It's been a while since someone's destroyed two of my hearts."

The two masks appeared and before I could so much as flash everyone away, black tendrils grabbed a hold of the four of us, keeping us still. _But I don't need to make hand signs to move to my kunai. I just need to touch them._ Straining myself against the tendrils, I ignored the feeling of them tightening to near bone breaking point just as Kakuzu shot out his combined fire and wind attack. Just before the attack could hit though, I barely caught four familiar scents as someone stopped the attack and cut the tendrils holding us all, making me relax now that reinforcements were here.

"Sorry we're late." Naruto said; him, Sai, Sakura, and Yamato standing before us as Kakashi sighed.

"Good timing…"

"Sakura, Sai, and Naruto too…" Ino said after.

"Ahhhh, reinforcements. We're saved."

Yamato gave Kakashi and I a glance. "This is the first time I've seen you both look so un-cool. This opponent must be really strong."

I rolled my eyes under my mask. _Says you._ He _should try hiding his identity while fighting this guy. It's harder than it looks._

"Another weird one's here." Kakuzu said. "And already beaten up too."

Naruto turned around, looking at Choji. "Where's Shikamaru?"

"Fighting the other Akatsuki." I said, bringing his attention to me, at which his eyes widened as he pointed childishly.

"Ah! You! Fox!"

I had to grit my teeth to keep from responding with my usual lazy wave and instead stood there stoically, though I could see Kakashi hiding a smile at my struggle.

"Would two of you go to Shikamaru's side?" He asked. "A long distance type and medical is best."

He then summoned Pakkun, who took Sai and Sakura to Shikamaru as Naruto glared down our opponent.

"I'll take it from here."

"Did he complete it?" Kakashi asked.

"No. It's about 50%."

"Hm." I hummed.

"However, just watch please. He's a completely different person than before."

I decided to take a rest for now and sat down on the ground, cringing at the amount of pain I was in and beginning to heal my own injuries as Kakashi explained the situation to Yamato and Naruto summoned clones and charged in. He was easily stopped, but I smirked when I realized what he was doing. _He's learning how many clones it takes to distract him. Smart._ Naruto summoned more clones then and began creating his newest attack, making me cringe as my sensitive ears ached from just the sound it was producing. I was barely able to open my eyes as I covered my ears, glancing up to see his Rasengan take the form of a shuriken.

Choji and Ino went to charge in as well, but Yamato stopped them, knowing just how much raw power was behind this attack. Meanwhile, I felt warm liquid slip through my fingers that covered my ears as I struggled to stay conscious and keep the memories at bay.

" _Her ears are sensitive to all sound."_

" _Perfect. It'll make keeping her under control better… How does the whistle work on her?"_

" _Heh, I'll show you…"_

The noise from Naruto's Shuriken Rasengan seemed to echo the loud whistle from my past and I felt my dark chakra getting more and more agitated as it tried to slip through my seal. Already, I could feel myself slipping, being swallowed by the beast inside me and just as I thought I was gone, a voice slipped through all the noise.

"Fox!"

" _Mutt!"_

 _That's not me. That's not my name._

"Hey, stay with me! Fight it!"

" _Do as I say! Kill them!"_

 _No… I can't. I won't…_

"Yamato!"

" _Kabuto! Now!"_

I was suddenly hit square in the chest by something, launching me back into a tree and holding me there as I felt my energy slipping away. The anger, the noise, the fear, the pain. All of it just fading, leaving me slumped over the wood pillar that had hit me, breathing hard with a consistent ringing in my head as a single tear fell down my cheek. _No more… Please… No more pain…_

* * *

"…Hey…"

I felt the fog in my head lift slowly, a single voice pushing through.

"Come on… Get up."

Slowly, I shifted, though pain seemed to radiate through my head, pounding behind my eyes.

"…Shi…" The voice whispered, quietly. "Wake up."

I somehow managed to open my eyes, blinking my blurry vision away to see Kakashi kneeling before me looking a bit beat up, but rather relieved.

"Took you long enough." He teased. "You missed out on everything."

I lifted my head and looked around, seeing a rather large crater not far away and Naruto being carried with the others off to the side, before looking back at Kakashi.

"Seems I did."

Kakashi grew serious though, checking behind him to make sure no one had come over within hearing range.

"Do you know what caused it?"

I nodded, wincing as my headache flared at the movement and placing a hand to my head before allowing Kakashi to help me up.

"It was the noise of Naruto's Shuriken Rasengan." I muttered, reaching up and touching just below my ear and pulling my hand away to find blood on it. "My ears are too sensitive and… before… with _him_ … whistles and loud noises were used to… Sorry. I should have mentioned it before."

Kakashi sighed, draping my arm over his shoulder so he could help me over to the others.

"No. I understand. No one expected something like that to trigger it. For now, let's get you healed up by Sakura." He said, calling Sakura over so she could heal my ears and my bleeding hand.

Oddly enough, she didn't suspect that I was, well, _me_. I thought she would've, what with my hand injuries matching what she had helped heal in the hospital, but I guess she just didn't notice it. Or if she did, she didn't say anything. Once that was taken care of though, we headed back to Konoha and were all gathered into Tsunade's office to give her our report.

"Great work, everyone. However, the Akatsuki is still out there, so don't let your guard down just yet. For now though, you can all take a break. You deserve it."

Everyone went to go, but I was to stay behind to give my own report due to my little episode while there.

"I see. Is it possible to have it occur again?"

I reached up and took off my mask with a hum. "Hm. Don't know really. Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I should be able to control it. It was just… a momentary lapse of control."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at me, fingers interlocked in front of her mouth. "I will trust you on that. However, I have a task you need to do."

I sighed, pulling a hand through my hair. " _Another_ mission?"

"You are the quickest one we have and are probably the only one capable of tracking Jiraiya."

"You're kidding." I deadpanned.

Tsunade smirked, shaking her head. "Word has it he's dug up some information that we need. _You're_ the one who's going to bring it back."

I reluctantly gave in. "Do we have an idea where he's at?"

Tsunade nodded, digging through her desk and pulling out a scroll, scanning it and handing it to me. "This is the message I received from one of his contacts saying that he should be around Kusagakure where Orochimaru's last hideout was."

I nodded, pocketing the scroll in my pouch and leaving to go to my apartment and pack. When I flashed there, I had to take a step back because Kakashi was right there waiting for me, a large smile on his face under his mask.

"Yo."

I let out a sigh and unlocked my door behind him. "Sorry, Kakashi. I can't stay. I have a mission."

He raised a brow as he followed me in. "Another one? You just got back."

"But I'm the only one who can track down Jiraiya at the moment and he has some information to pass along."

"That's odd." Kakashi said, as I began packing. "Doesn't he normally bring the information to Konoha himself?"

"Apparently, his contact says he's in a tight spot and can't leave but it's vital he passes along the info now." I said. "I can't say much more than that."

I went into my bedroom to grab some clothes and came back out to see the burnt remains of my scarf lying on a small end table, causing my face to fall. Kakashi spotted this and came over, blocking my view of it as he hugged me, chin atop my head.

"How long are you going to be gone?"

"Few days, a week at most." I murmured, closing my eyes and taking in his scent; the smell of pine and the pomegranate soap he uses relaxing me. "Shoji will take me up towards the border of the Land of Earth, I'll get the info, and then come back. Shouldn't be any longer than that."

"Hm." He hummed. "I'll miss you."

I scoffed a bit. "Sure you will."

He pulled away, looking down at me as I glanced up with a lazy look.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You'll be too busy reading to miss me." I joked, earning a smile from him.

"Cute." He said sarcastically. "Try not to get into trouble though. Alright? I'll even bring you a present when you get back."

I furrowed my brows. "Why?"

He gave me a closed-eye grin. "Because~"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my things, letting him follow me out the door where I summoned Shoji, who pawed at the ground.

"When do _I_ get a break?" He complained as I hefted a thick blanket onto his back and smoothed it out.

"When I get one." I said, as Kakashi stood by and chuckled.

" _If_ you get one." He commented, making me turn to him with a frown.

"Hey."

He laughed, stepping forward and brushing a hand over my cheek. "Be careful."

"You're awfully… _touchy_ today." I complained, using a finger to push his hand away.

He gave me a long hard look. "I just have a bad feeling about something."

"Mhmm." I hummed, the two of us standing not inches from each other in silence, until something unpredictable happened.

Shoji knocked his head into my back, knocking me forward into Kakashi, my lips meeting his through his cloth mask. I pulled away, face red and gave Shoji a glare as he turned his head away innocently and Kakashi laughed some more.

"It's not funny." I said, turning back to him.

"It is when you make that face." He said, making me turn redder and turn away.

Oddly enough, Kakashi grabbed me suddenly and turned me around, covering my eyes with a hand and pressing his lips to mine, only this time, there was no cloth mask to get in-between. When we separated, his hand was still over my eyes and my mouth was open in shock, already feeling the heat crawling up my face and to my ears even. I felt Kakashi begin to pull his hand away, but quickly reached up and held it there.

He chuckled. "What's wrong, Shi?"

It was like my throat suddenly closed up and I couldn't breathe, but I somehow managed to stutter out a response.

"N-Nothing…"

"Really?"

I could hear the mocking tone in his voice and pulled his hand down to glare at him, his mask already back up.

"Shut up."

He laughed and I let him go, climbing up on Shoji's back and hanging on to his mane, ready to go, when Kakashi placed a hand on my knee.

"Seriously though, Shi. Please. Be careful."

I sighed, seeing how worried he was and nodded. "I'll do my best."

With that, I turned Shoji towards the direction of the gates and headed off at a trot, dodging the occasional bystander who took their time moving out of my way. Though Shoji was doing the dodging. I was too busy burying my face in his mane after what I had just experienced. _Kami… what just happened?_

After a while, I had calmed down and focused on where I was going. Two days passed of me traveling with the occasional rest before I wasn't too far from where the message said Jiraiya was last seen. Odd thing was, the whole way over here I hadn't caught a trace of his scent and that had me slightly on edge. _Something's wrong… Kakashi was right about the message and there's no way to confirm that this message actually came from one of his informants. For all we know, this informant could've been caught and this is all a—_ I was startled out of my trace when the leaves in the trees above me shifted and I was suddenly attacked.

I could hardly keep track of what was happening, even with my quick reflexes and before long, I was knocked off Shoji with a hard hit to the head, disorienting me as a sharp pain radiated through my skull and shoulder; which was probably broken in the fall. Shoji began panicking and I got up as quickly as I could, feeling my dark chakra flare out as I growled lowly and scanned the forest around me. Problem was, I had to keep blinking because the hit to my head continued to leave spots in my vision and catching sight of my attackers was harder than I expected. I caught sight of a flash though and charged towards it, sword at the ready when I tumbled to the ground, not realizing what had happened until I felt pure agony shoot up my spine.

My ankle had been caught in some sort of bear trap, breaking my leg and tearing through my pants, holding me in place as I blindly slashed out at empty air with a pained howl. Laughter echoed from around me and then came the noise. A high pitched ringing hand me dropping my weapon, struggling to keep myself under control as I covered my ears, shouting at Shoji.

"Shoji! Run! Go back to Konoha! It's a trap! R-Run!"

I heard the galloping of his hooves before he silenced them and the whistling stopped. A group of people came towards me, sending some of the people after Shoji, before one man came too close and I gathered enough dark chakra to lash a clawed hand at him, slicing through his throat and killing him with a menacing growl.

" _ **Back off."**_

I shook my head a bit to try and clear my vision, but that only made it worse, so I began gathering dark chakra in the hopes that transforming into _that_ would get me out of this situation. I could feel myself losing it to the beast, when pain radiated from my back. Multiple swords had been stabbed into my back, stealing my chakra as blood pooled beneath me and I began to lose consciousness. But not before I heard the other group return.

"The animal escaped."

 _Shoji… please, get help._

* * *

Tsunade sat quietly in her office, staring out the window at the town, paperwork still stacked up on her desk waiting to be finished. She had this nagging feeling that something was off, but couldn't quite place it. _It has to do with Shi. I know it. But what?_ She furrowed her brows, arms crossed over her chest as she thought. _With the mission perhaps? It was odd that Jiraiya's contact would get a hold of us as opposed to the man himself, but that man is unpredictable. Who knows what he's been up to lately?_ She sighed, putting the thought off for now and turning back to the work on her desk with a grimace. _Too much paperwork._ Her eyes shifted to her top desk drawer though and a slow smirk made its way on her face as she sat down and opened it. _Good thing I have this though._ She reached in and pulled out a sake bottle and cup, setting the cup on her desk and pouring the drink and setting the bottle down, bringing the cup to her lips and drinking.

"Wah!" She called out, a big grin crossing her face and she poured more. "That's some good sake!"

Just as she brought the cup to her lips again though, a man burst into her office, causing her to choke.

"Hey there, Tsunade!"

"J-Jiraiya?!" Tsunade coughed out, the man waving with a grin.

"Calm down there, Tsunade! You're going to hurt yourself." He said with a smile.

Tsunade though, wasn't having it, and stood up pointing at him. "You! You're not supposed to be here!"

Jiraiya raised a brow. "What are you talking about, Tsunade?"

"Where's Shi?!" She shouted at him, not liking what this could mean for the woman she just sent out on a mission to find the man standing before her.

"Tsunade, I don't know what you're talking about!" He replied. "I just got into Konoha and came right here. I haven't run into anyone."

Tsunade sank back down into her seat, digging through her desk quickly before pulling out a scroll identical to the one she gave Shi days ago.

"Did you or one of your contacts send this?"

Jiraiya looked confused, but took the scroll, scanning it over before frowning. "This _is_ my contact's writing, but I never asked them to do this nor would I allow it. I send all information personally for a reason but…" Jiraiya looked closer at the scroll, before placing a hand on it and focusing his chakra, causing a few characters to glow revealing a single word: Trap.

Jiraiya immediately turned to Tsunade showing her the scroll and she dropped her head into her hands. Suddenly though, the door was slammed open and she lifted her head to greet the intruder with a glare.

"What do you think you're doing barging in here?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but an injured animal just showed up at the gates!" the man said, looking a bit worse for wear.

"And what do I care about some injured animal?" She said, frustrated.

"B-But, Tsunade-sama, I-I-I think it's a summon. It had a headband around its neck."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes in confusion. "A summon? On its own?"

The man nodded frantically. "I-It's wounded as well. I'm surprised it took as many of us as it did to keep it from running into the village. The animal's in a panic and if it _can_ speak, it doesn't look like it will until it calms down, but we haven't been able to get that far with it yet. No one knows what to do. We're not used to dealing with such an animal."

Tsunade frowned. "Describe it."

"W-What?"

"The summon! Describe it! What does it look like?!"

The man flinched. "I-It's tall. A good foot taller than me. Strong. B-Black. I-I think it's a-a-a horse?"

Tsunade's eyes widened and she quickly stood, putting on her robe. "Shizune!"

"Y-Yes!" Shizune appeared in the doorway, looking a bit confused.

"Summon Kakashi to the front gate. Immediately! And put together a tracking team to go with him."

"Tsunade—"

"Now!" Tsunade snapped, heading towards the door. "Shi's been taken by Orochimaru!"

"O-Of course! Right away!" Shizune sputtered out, quickly rushing out as Tsunade and Jiraiya headed to the front gates, the shinobi leading the way.

"It's over here!" He said, and already one could hear the loud whinnies of Shoji as he panicked, hooves hitting the ground hard enough to be heard from a distance as well.

Tsunade quickly understood why the shinobi had been so panicked upon entering her office, the scene in front of her surprising her far more than she expected. Shoji was swinging his head around wildly, large gashes on his flank, shoulder, and neck dripping blood down his sweaty coat as he bucked and reared. Even the shinobi were having a tough time controlling him and a good number had already been thrown around by the horse. Just then, Kakashi appeared at her side, looking over the scene with wide eyes and turning to Tsunade.

"What's going on?"

"We need to get that animal under control." Tsunade said, jaw tight. "It's believed that Shi may have been taken by Orochimaru."

"What?!"

"I will explain the situation later. Right now, we need him taken care of. He's the only one who can lead a team to where she was taken. I summoned you here because I believed you could do it faster than we could."

Kakashi nodded and headed over, shooing the shinobi around Shoji back to a safer distance as he approached the tired, injured animal.

"Hey there, buddy. Remember me?" Kakashi said, voice calm and hands up, approaching slowly.

Shoji's head hung low as he breathed hard, legs quivering as he watched Kakashi come closer.

"Relax. I just want to help you. You, and Shi."

Shoji raised his head a bit at Shi's name and Kakashi got a bit closer.

"We need to find out what happened to her, but we need you to stay calm and get your injuries looked at."

Shoji snorted, but lowered his head, allowing Kakashi to reach a hand out and pat his neck, to which he responded by tucking his head into Kakashi's chest. Everyone seemed to relax and Kakashi led Shoji over towards Tsunade with a hand on his neck.

"It was an ambush…" Shoji breathed out. "A large group of men… One knocked her off me with a hit to the head… they seemed to know her weaknesses…"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she stared at the horse. "Can you take a team to where she was?"

The horse nodded with a snort. "Unlike her, I'm good with directions."

Tsunade nodded, ordering one of the shinobi to take him over to Hana Inuzuka in the hopes that she may be able to help heal Shoji's injuries until a team could be assembled. The only problem was, the team wasn't able to find any traces as to where Shi had been taken and days passed with no word or hope as to where she could possibly be found. This put Kakashi into a depression and, though he did his best to hide it, even Guy could tell that Shi's disappearance was having an effect on him. And by this point, the whole village was aware of what had happened, though Naruto was the single person left out of the loop, as Tsunade ordered. To her, knowing how close they were, Naruto would do something reckless and she didn't need him going off after her when the Akatsuki were out looking for him. Needless to say, Tsunade couldn't risk losing someone else. _Let's just hope she's still alive by the time we find her…_

* * *

I couldn't move without agony ripping through my veins. I wasn't in the best shape at all and, despite being captured by Orochimaru's men, I had yet to see the man or Kabuto and instead had to deal with his sadistic scientists. This didn't change the torture I was put through, but it did change how they treated me and how _I_ treated them. I couldn't tell how long I'd been in this darkened cell, but the scientists were quick to learn how many locks and chakra seals they needed to keep me in control. This frustrated me greatly and every chance I had, I tried to escape, but it was useless and I was slowly beginning to lose hope.

 _No one knows where I'm at. Even if Shoji made it back, there's probably no way to track me here. And I can feel myself slowly losing it. The beast is getting stronger and these experiments they're doing on me only make it worse._ I glanced up, body slumped against the cell wall and hands cuffed in front of me with chains around my ankles, hair shading my murderous eyes. _I'll do it. I'll kill the next person who comes through that door._ Oddly enough, the noise outside grew louder and after a long while, it suddenly grew quiet. I heard the sound of keys and footsteps come closer and tensed, but they stopped outside of the door across from me and I cringed as my wounds ached in protest as I relaxed slightly. I felt my eyes begin to slide closed then, tired from everything, but just before they closed my whole cell shook and I quickly lifted my head to see a small bit of light peeking through a tiny hole in the wall.

 _To do that much damage to a wall that thick… it wasn't a scientist who came to the door across the way. It was someone else… Someone stupid, or ridiculously strong…_ I felt my lips twitch up in a snarl and forced myself to stand, keeping all my weight on my good leg as the other dragged behind me limply and I made my way to the small hole. I hadn't yet forgotten the chakra stored in my arm seal and as I began releasing that dark chakra into my arm, ignoring the pain and suffocating feeling from the other seals around the cell, I slammed my chakra laden fist into the wall where the hole was, blowing a big enough hole that I could climb out of. Sensing four presences, I immediately transformed, growling and snapping at the three as I destroyed the hallway with my thrashing.

Something sharp slashed across my sensitive nose, making me even angrier as I tried to take a bite out of the white haired, shark toothed man only for him to turn into water and slip through my gnashing jaws. So I turned to the others and attacked, causing the woman of the group to let out a scream as she ducked behind one of the guys, one I recognized even in my half-crazed state. _Sasuke?_ My muzzle was stopped by an orange haired man standing in front of him who had grabbed a hold of it, but I quickly tossed him aside and glared down my nose at Sasuke with a snarl.

" _ **Sasuke."**_

He seemed slightly surprised, a hand on his sword as his eyes narrowed at me.

"You know me."

" _ **Far more than you realize… Where is the snake? You smell like him."**_

I took a sniff, blowing back the hot air in his face.

"Dead." He replied, still tense.

" _ **He was**_ **mine** _ **."**_ I growled out, watching as Sasuke's hand clenched tighter around his sword.

"You were a bit late." He commented, making me scoff.

" _ **Heh, no point in trying to joke, Uchiha. I can smell your fear."**_ I moved a bit closer with a sneer, before pulling back and sighing. _**"It's a shame I'm in such bad shape. Naruto would be pleased if I brought you back."**_

"You're from Konoha."

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him and the others with him, jumping up through the ceiling and cringing when my injured leg slipped. I glanced at him from over my shoulder though and huffed, sending him some words of advice.

" _ **You'll find that you'll need Naruto one day, Sasuke. Try not to kill too many people before then."**_

With that, I headed off the roof of the building and jumped down to the ground, landing with a yelp as my body crumbled. I went back to my human self and, with the last ounces of my chakra, went to summon Shoji. Oddly enough, he wasn't the one who appeared, but another horse. A _larger_ horse.

The horse was a dark brown color with a long white face and white furry legs with a black mane and tail, but it's sheer _mass_ was twice that of Shoji's and he was far taller than Shoji as well. I could tell without even getting up off the ground that I wouldn't even reach the top of the horse's shoulder, but I was fading fast and I knew I might not make it back to Konoha if I didn't get on the back of the horse soon.

"W-Where's Shoji?" I gasped out, picking myself up off the ground and nearly falling over if it weren't for the horse holding me up with his head.

"Resting. Enemy did a number on him. Name's Masashi, by the way."

I nodded, Masashi helping me onto his back where I clung to his mane and he turned around to face the direction of where I assumed he knew Konoha was.

"We going for speed or comfort?" Masashi asked, pawing the ground with his large hoof.

"Both… if you can… I don't know how long I can stay… conscious…"

He bobbed his head in a nod. "I'll do what I can."

Once that was decided, he headed off in a gallop, hooves thundering as he galloped with me hanging on as best I could on his back. It hurt to be riding him, my injuries screaming in agony with every bump and step. I did what I could to stay conscious though, only passing out once, and open dirt soon gave way to grass and forests. As we traveled, Masashi kept checking up on me, but otherwise we stayed quiet. I only spoke up when I smelled something, silently giving him the order to stop as I sat up. _Small group of men… Not familiar… not Orochimaru's… low chakra, civilians… but I smell blood… that must mean they're—_ I was cut off as something hit me in the back, knocking me off Masashi, and men hurried over and surrounded him; not giving me a glance.

Masashi was quick to retaliate, rearing and kicking out, knocking the bandits back before one seemed to spot me and came over and dug through my pockets. They had hit me with an arrow, it having gone straight through my shoulder and I was beginning to grow frustrated with the man who was digging through my pockets for stuff to steal. Needless to say, Masashi took care of him before I could get a chance and the bandits ran off empty handed and beaten as Masashi helped me onto his back once more, the arrow having him worried about my health and he quickly picked up his pace as we hurried to Konoha. By the time we reached there, it was well after dark and I wish I could've seen the guards' faces when this monstrous horse pounded right through the gates and towards the hospital. When we reached there, I wasn't surprised to see a group of ninja standing by—the guards having alerted them, no doubt—but to see Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya show up _was_ a bit surprising.

Some of the ninja began to move closer, but Tsunade immediately stopped them by holding a hand out and she was the one to approach as Masashi turned to the side to reveal me hanging limply on his back. Her and Kakashi immediately rushed forward, pulling me off his back as gently as they could as Tsunade sent someone to get more medical assistance and Masashi disappeared. Tsunade was doing her best to heal me as a group of nurses and doctors brought out a stretcher and I was placed on it on my side. I struggled to keep my eyes open as I was wheeled in, but even that was difficult and I soon slipped into black, hearing Kakashi's voice urging me to hold on.

"Just hold on, Shi… hold on…"


	12. Chapter 12

I sighed, finding myself in the same black expanse as before and I sat up, sitting cross-legged on the ground with my elbows on my knees.

"I died again, didn't I?" I questioned, knowing that somewhere behind me, God was probably painting another landscape.

"You did."

"Do I…" I winced, bowing my head. "I don't get to go back, do I?"

"That… depends on you."

I glanced to my right to find him sitting next to me, blowing bubbles as a breeze cut across the grass now at our feet; the two of us sitting on a hill. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I rested my chin on my folded arms and sighed.

"Of course it does…"

"Do you want to go back?"

I frowned slightly. "I… don't really know. I've been tortured, poisoned, hurt, killed, attacked, poked and prodded, and am probably mentally unstable at this point… but… There's people I care about there. Kakashi, Naruto, the other genin, Gaara, the jounin… They'd be really hurt if I left them behind and I would miss them."

"Friends… are some of the best things to have and some of the worst… They love you and hurt you… Would you be willing to risk everything you have for them?"

His question swirled around in my head, but before I could answer, he added more.

"Even if I were to say you could ascend right now? See your family? Your friends? All the people you left behind?"

My throat closed up as tears filled my eyes, memories of my old family and friends coming back to me now and I was conflicted. I could return to them, all of them, if I left behind the life I had made now. _But the life I have now… sure, it's dangerous, but the people I've met, the friends I've made… could I really leave them behind?_ I heard laughing then and looked up, seeing Naruto running around with Sakura and Sai and the other genin and jounin, and I felt myself lower my head as I swung back and forth slowly on the swing I was now sitting in. It was a reverse of the situation I had seen before coming into Naruto's world. He wasn't alone anymore… I was.

I felt more tears fall from my face as I struggled internally with my decision, feeling myself slowly falling apart. _What if I end up hurting them? I have a monster in me._ I'm _a monster. I-I should stay dead… if only to protect them…_ I heard the laughter stop and spotted a pair of sandaled feet step into view, causing me to look up and see Naruto's confused expression as he looked at me curiously.

"Neh, why are you crying?"

"I-I… have to c-choose between my old family and m-my new one…" I muttered, lowering my head once more and rubbing at my eyes with my fist. "B-B-But how can I-I choose one over the other?"

"Hm. Well, which one needs you more?"

"W-What?" I glanced back up at him, confused.

"Which family needs you more?" He said with a little grin.

"U-Um…"

I saw flashes of people from my new life, Naruto and the others. Kurenai crying over Asuma's grave, Shikamaru's silent mourning, Naruto by himself, Kakashi at the memorial stone, people fighting, wars, battles. And then I saw my old family, smiling, happy, joyful.

"I think your old family would understand if you went. Don't you?"

I choked on a sob as I nodded, understanding now what I was deciding. I wasn't choosing one family over the other, I was choosing happiness. Their happiness, and mine.

"Come on, then." Naruto smiled, holding a hand out. "What are we supposed to do without you, Shi?"

I grinned back as well, feeling a warmth flood my stomach as he pulled me towards the group and I realized what that warmth was as I felt the seal on my stomach pulse. _No way… he's…_ I looked back as Naruto let go of my hand and stared at God as he smiled and waved.

"Think of it as a gift." He said. "Use it well."

I nodded and chased after Naruto and the others, everything before me fading into white, as a new figure joined God; one with long white hair and red markings under his eyes, giving me a few last parting words before he too disappeared and tears fell from my eyes.

* * *

When I woke up, I was in the hospital of course, and my room was empty. Bringing a hand to my face, I brushed off the left-over tears and tried to see if I could sit up. I could, though the process was painfully slow—my muscles pretty stiff—and I regretfully pushed the call button for the nurse. I heard one approaching, but was surprised at what she said as she opened the door.

"Mr. Uzumaki, I told you time and time again not to play with the call bu… tton…"

Her mouth dropped open in shock as she dropped her clipboard and I blinked back at her confused, before giving a little wave.

"Yo?"

Seems that was a bad thing to do, for she immediately screamed and dashed out of the room yelling for a doctor. _Well, that was odd… and painful to my ears…_ Needless to say, it wasn't long before a doctor came in with the frantic nurse and began checking me over in complete and utter astonishment. Very much confused, I finally managed to get his attention once he finished.

"Could I possibly ask… what's going on?"

He looked at me and quickly nodded, going through his clipboard. "Yes, yes. Of course. Let's see… You remembered what happened, yes?"

I nodded.

"Good, good. Um, you've actually been in a coma for a good month."

"A-A month?"

He nodded, pushing the glasses up his nose. "We actually thought you were dead a few times. Your heart stopped at least three times."

I nodded again, pulling a shaky hand through my hair. "Does anyone, um, know I'm awake?"

He shook his head. "No one but myself and the nurse. Though I'm sure the rest of the staff will know in a minute."

The man chuckled, but I shook my head to shake myself out of my thoughts.

"When can I go? I need to do something."

"Well, I've already checked you over and everything seemed alright. You're movement's a little on the slow side, but that's to be expected after—"

"Can I go?" I interrupted, growing annoyed with his skipping out on my question.

He nodded with a grin. "Yes. Yes. You can go. Though I should probably call someone to bring you spare cloth—"

"No need." I said as I stood up from the bed and made sure I was stable before waving in a lazy manner. "Bye."

With that, I focused my chakra and flashed to my apartment door where my marked kunai hung. From there, I changed out of the hospital gown and into my own clothes before spotting something lying on my coffee table. I furrowed my brows, before heading over and picking up the bundle, loosening the twine wrapped around it and allowing the smooth cloth to unravel as my eyes widened.

In my hands, was a long silver scarf and I immediately realized who left it here. I looped the scarf around my neck, inhaling deeply, before focusing my chakra once more and heading to the Hokage's office. I poofed up right outside, cringing as my body ached in protest already at the use of chakra and what wounds were still in the process of healing, and I heard voices from inside. One of which sounded like a frantic Shizune.

"The nurses said she's awake and the doctor said she just disappeared the moment he said she could go! No one's seen her! What should we do, Tsunade-sama?!"

I rolled my eyes and slowly opened the door, stepping in and catching Tsunade's attention, to which she too rolled her eyes.

"Why can't you just stay out of trouble?"

Everyone—Kakashi, Sai, Shizune, and Sakura—looked at her confused, having not noticed me yet.

"Trouble seems to find _me_." I grumbled, making the others in the room turn towards me in shock.

"Shi!"

They all looked very surprised and I too was a bit surprised when I noticed the other guests in the room. _Frogs? Jiraiya then, but… wasn't he… I see…_ I felt the edge of my lip twitch downwards as I remembered the new face from my 'dream' and what he had said to me.

" _Keep an eye on that little brat, would you? And tell Tsunade—"_

"Shi! Pay attention!"

I jumped, eyes wide in a slight panic and a hand already on a weapon, when I snapped back to reality and calmed myself down at sight of the worried, cautious looks aimed at me.

"S-Sorry."

Tsunade nodded, eyeing me a little bit more. "As I was saying, you're going to be suspended from mission duties for a few days for you to finish recovering and, being Jiraiya's student also, I regret to inform you that… he died in battle."

I nodded, bowing my head and staying silent.

"Naruto has already been informed and has gone off on his own not too long ago. However, I wanted to know if you understand the message Jiraiya left behind, as Naruto didn't have a clue."

She gestured to the elder frog who removed his cloak and showed me the numbers burned into his back. I blinked, confused by the series of numbers, but the first one had me curious. _Looks like a 9, but… with Jiraiya, it could be the katakana 'ta'._

"I'm… not entirely sure." I finally said, allowing the elder frog to replace his cloak. "It's a code, but without knowing the key…"

Tsunade nodded. "I will leave the task of figuring it out to you and Shikamaru, though I suggest taking a day off first. Some people were more worried than others."

She gave me a pointed look and I gave a brief nod, face red as I bowed with the others and we were dismissed. Once outside, Sai went one way and Sakura the other, but Kakashi and I stood there for a moment just watching each other. Finally, I decided to make a move and hesitantly grabbed his hand and began pulling him through the village. He didn't say anything and I stayed silent as well, my face a nice shade of red, though I hoped Kakashi couldn't see. It took a bit of walking, but I had soon reached the place I wanted and I stopped, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath of the forested area.

"Thank you." I said quietly, turning to look at Kakashi from over my shoulder, a hand reaching up and brushing over the fabric of my new scarf.

He gave me a closed-eye smile. "Glad you like it."

I dropped my hand, eyes sad, feeling that Kakashi wasn't saying what he wanted to. _He's hiding himself… Why?_

"Kakashi?"

He brought his hand up to the back of his head with a small chuckle. "Well, I should get going. I have some things I need to do."

He turned to go and seeing his back made something in me click and I wasn't seeing him anymore; I was seeing myself walking away from everyone.

" _Please_." I felt my voice crack as I called after him, throat tight with possible tears. "Please don't turn your back on me…"

He stopped, hands in his pockets and head bowed, but he didn't turn around. I knew what he was doing though. I knew why he was turning his back on me.

"You're running to protect me… but… I don't want that… and _you_ don't want that. I know you don't." I turned my head away, looking down at my hands that were scared pink from when I created my newest attack. "You'll think' its fine now. That you're protecting me by pushing me away, but then you'll realize that you're hurting yourself… That you're lonely and isolated and lost and broken… and that darkness that you're holding inside bubbles to the surface and starts swallowing you. You lose yourself to that darkness and then… before you realize it… you find you're hurting the one you wanted to protect." I dropped my hands as a tear slipped down my cheek silently. "You don't want to live like that, Kakashi… you and I… haven't we been hurt enough trying to protect others?"

He didn't say anything and I felt a weight settle in my stomach as I bowed my head and stuffed my scarred hands into my pockets.

"…Apologies. I shouldn't have said anything…" I muttered, hearing him walk away until his footsteps were gone.

I choked back a sob, not used to so many emotions trying to pour out at once; my palm pressed against my left eye in a vain attempt to stop the welling up of tears. As numb as I appeared to Jiraiya's death when I was first told and when I saw him in my 'dream', his death had a big impact on me. He was just as much my teacher as he was Naruto's and—though I had been tortured and had seen death before—this was the third close death I've had to deal with. The Third Hokage's was the biggest, but I hadn't been able to attend his funeral due to my own situation, and the effects were lessened. Asuma's happened then and, as much as I liked the man and as close as we were, I knew that Shikamaru and Kurenai were having a harder time dealing with his death and I shoved my own feelings back to help them with theirs.

I was doing the same with Jiraiya up until this point as well. I had just been released from the hospital and had my own personal situation to deal with just before awakening. And finding out he was dead the moment I woke up… Even though I knew beforehand, it didn't make shoving those emotions back any easier. But I needed to hide them. I knew Naruto was hurting and that Tsunade was hurting and my breaking down would only cause more complications. So I shoved them back and tried to deal with something else to keep me busy. That was something I was good at. Hiding my emotions, distracting myself. So, seeing how Kakashi was hiding his, I knew how much pain he was having to deal with and I didn't want him to end up like me. I didn't want him to hide behind a mask of indifference or a mask of fake smiles and laughs. I didn't want him hiding from his own monsters.

 _But it was useless. He didn't listen to me and now…_ I closed my eyes as another sob managed to break past my lips, curling an arm around my stomach as I doubled over slightly. It was the only pain I couldn't handle. All of the torture I had ever been put through was easy to overcome. The pain stopped as soon as the torture did and I could just lock everything away and not have to worry about it. But emotional pain, this deep set emotional pain, stays with you. Even when the person who caused it is gone, the pain lingers. And that pain brings up other pain until everything becomes unbearable and you forget who you are or what you're doing. The only thing you can feel is pain and it will haunt you, far longer than any physical pain ever could. And the only way to fix it, is for that person to come back. For that person to turn around and reach towards you and pull you up.

"I-I'm sorry." I cried quietly. "I'm s-sorry, Kakashi. I-I-I couldn't h-help you. I'm s-so sorry."

Something brushed itself against the side of my face as I cried, a deep voice coming from in front of me.

"Why are you apologizing? You try so hard to help others, but shouldn't you help yourself a bit first, Shi?"

I continued to choke on my sobs, being unable to get any words out as I struggled to wipe the tears from my eyes and face Kakashi properly.

"You get yourself into so much trouble… You scare me _so_ much…" He brushed away some tears from my cheek with his thumb, only for more to take their place as he sighed softly. "What am I going to do with you?"

I felt his cloth covered lips brush over my left eyelid and he pulled away, brushing some stray hair from my tear-streaked face as he glanced down at me with a soft smile.

"Come on. You can stay at my place tonight. I doubt you want to be home alone and… I think I might have something that will cheer you up a bit."

I nodded solemnly, wiping away my left over tears now that I was calming down, and followed after him. His house wasn't far from where I had brought us, something I didn't know with my horrible sense of direction, and he had me sit on the couch as he went to get me a blanket and some tea. Next thing I know though, I heard paws clattering on the wooden floor and I was suddenly surrounded by a group of dogs of various shapes and sizes, though only one I recognized.

"I told you I had something you'd like." Kakashi said with a closed-eye smile, handing me my tea and draping a blanket over me. "I thought you'd like to meet the rest of my nin-dogs."

I looked around at the numerous dogs as Kakashi sat beside me and laid and arm across my shoulders, speaking to them.

"Guys, this is Shi. My… erm… mate."

I flushed at his words, noticing he did as well and I almost felt like I was being introduced to his parents and that, if these dogs didn't except me, then there was going to be definite issues between Kakashi and I. _Their opinion on me has to be important to him, otherwise he wouldn't be so embarrassed about all of this._

"Um… hello." I said, not really sure what else to do.

The largest out of the group wandered over and sniffed me, cautiously, before turning back to the others.

"She smells weird."

Kakashi immediately slapped a hand to his face as the other dogs came over to smell me as well. It was odd, being sniffed by a bunch of dogs, but their comments about everything were actually kind of funny. _Just goes to show how close they are I suppose._

"What do you guys think she smells like?" The large one asked.

"Like I know, Bull." A smaller brown one said, scratching his ear with a back paw; the kanji for 'shinobi' on his forehead and dark rings around his eyes.

"Aw, come on, Bisuke! Give it a guess! I think she smells like pine trees and oranges!" Another one said, this one grey with a black tuff of fur on its head, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth.

"Are you an idiot?" The spiky furred one said, eyes staring angrily at the other dog. _Or maybe that's just the way it looks…_ "She obviously smells like cedar wood and fresh vanilla."

"Urushi is right, Shiba." The one wearing sunglasses said. "Though not about the cedar wood."

"What?! I thought you just said I was right, Akino!"

"Come on now, guys!" A dog said, stepping forward; whiskers plain as day on his face. "Aren't we supposed to be getting to know Kakashi's mate? What's arguing about her scent going to solve? Besides, she _obviously_ smells like apples."

"Says you, Guruko!"

The various dogs went back into arguing, Pakkun putting a paw to his face in a similar manner as Kakashi and the quiet red and white dog just stared between the arguing dogs, looking unsure about whether or not it should step in. I couldn't help but chuckle though, their interacting reminding me a lot of the old Team Seven and how everyone bickered, but still got along. Something about that just seemed funny and I didn't notice that the dogs had stopped their arguing to stare at me until I managed to bring my laughter to an end.

"S-Sorry." I apologized. "You're just… t-the bickering… it's kind of funny."

They looked at one another in confusion, before I calmed down a bit more.

"So let me see if I got this right… You're Bull." I said, pointing at the large black dog. "And you're Bisuke."

The smaller brown dog with 'shinobi' on its forehead nodded.

"And you're… Akino."

The sunglasses one sat down with a nod.

"Then there's Guruko."

"That's right." The whiskered one said.

"And Shiba is… you." I said, pointing at the grey one with the black tuff on its head.

"You bet!"

"Which makes you, Urushi, right?"

"What of it?" He grumbled.

I nodded to myself and turned to the red and white dog. "But I didn't get your name."

The dog nervously turned its head away and spoke quietly. "U-Uhei."

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, before holding out my hand to the dog. "Nice to meet you."

I managed to smile a bit and Uhei hesitantly placed his paw in my hand and, that seemed to do the trick, because the rest of the dogs wandered up too, some more eagerly than others. They looked excited about meeting a new person and they were quick to take away any unease I had, as well as to inform me of a few things about Kakashi.

"I like you! You're a lot better than the other mates Kakashi brought home." Shiba said, tilting his head so I could scratch him behind the ear.

"Oh, yeah. I agree." Bull hummed, resting his large head on my leg as I scratched him with my other hand.

"Remember the one with the perfume?" Bisuke said, shaking his head.

"Ugh, don't get me started." Urushi groaned, covering his nose with his paws. "My nose wouldn't work for _days_!"

"Don't forget the cat-lover."

The dogs collectively groaned at Akino's words before Guruko hopped up to get scratched as well.

"What about the one who tried to _surprise_ him by waiting upstairs and—"

" _I_ think that's enough talking for now." Kakashi said with a nervous chuckle, having grabbed Guruko's muzzle to keep him quiet. "Shi's had a long day, so it'd probably be best if she got some sleep."

"C-Can I sleep with her?" Uhei stuttered out, looking up nervously, though his question got the others riled up as well.

"Yeah!"

"I want to sleep with her too!"

"Can we?"

"It'll be fun!"

"And warm."

Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his hair and turning to me.

I gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't mind."

I seemed to have missed something, for he dropped his head to his chest and slowly got up.

"I'll get some extra blankets…"

Confused as to what I did wrong, I turned to Pakkun on my lap. "Did I… mess up somehow?"

He sighed. "You're not good at this whole mate thing, are you?"

I winced, rubbing the back of my neck. "Not, uh… Not really. I'm still new to the whole emotion thing…"

Pakkun sighed. "He wants you to be alone with him."

I felt heat creep up my cheeks and looked over at the other dogs, who hadn't said anything. Guruko was the first to speak up.

"He's right you know." He gave me a puppy smile. "Kakashi's like that. He doesn't just come out with what he wants, you know?"

Bull nodded too, tongue hanging out. "That's right!"

Akino shuffled a bit, looking away towards the stairs that Kakashi went up. "He'll do whatever to make the girl happy, but never asks for anything."

"Che, he should just speak up every once in a while, you know?" Urushi said with a scoff.

Shiba suddenly hurried over, front paws on my knees and face looking excited. "I think you should go with him!"

Uhei stepped forward as well. "I-I agree. I think he would like that and… I don't mind not sleeping with you."

I opened my mouth to apologize to them, knowing they had been excited, but Bisuke cut me off.

"Just go. We'll be fine. Besides, you look like you could do with a bit of puppy love."

I nodded slowly, remembering why Kakashi brought me here in the first place and muttered a quiet 'thank you' to his ninken before heading nervously upstairs. Once up there, I wasn't sure where to go, not knowing where Kakashi had gone to get the extra blankets. The moment I turned though, I ran right into him, making his drop the blankets to the floor.

"Sorry!" I said, quickly picking up the ones that fell and handing them back to him as he raised a brow in question.

"Something up?"

"I, uh…" I swallowed thickly, not really knowing how to say this and the way I knew how was a bit… blunt. "Could we just, um… go to sleep?"

He seemed even more confused, making me mentally smack myself in the face as he gestured to the blankets in his arms. "That's why I brought the blankets. You and the ninken can sleep in the guest room and—"

"N-No! I mean…" I took a deep breath, closing my eyes tightly. "Alone… without the ninken."

Things were quiet and I quickly shook my head, figuring that I did something wrong again.

"I'm really not good at this. Sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Kakashi cut me off with a hand over my mouth, making me look up at him in surprise as he smiled.

"It's fine, Shi. Come on."

He led the way, tucking the blankets back into a closet and stopping outside of a door, his hand on the knob.

"I won't try anything if you don't want me to."

I blinked, not sure what he was saying, until it suddenly clicked and I turned a beat red. "No, I-I just…" I looked down, feeling depressed once more as I remembered Jiraiya. "I just want to sleep."

He nodded, letting me in and digging through his closet before handing me a shirt and some shorts of his. "Here. You can use these for pajamas since we didn't pick anything up. Bathroom's on the left."

I took the clothes and changed, returning as Kakashi headed into the bathroom himself.

"I'm going to shower, alright? You're welcome to use the bed."

I gave him my own nod, taking my folded scarf and clothes and setting them on the nightstand before laying down and staring at the wall, thinking about Jiraiya and how Naruto and Tsunade must be feeling, as well as his final parting words to me.

" _Tell Tsunade not to get all stressed out over all that Hokage business. Though make sure she watches her gambling problems too. That last thing we need is for her to go running off on a drunk gambling spree again. And tell Naruto that he's a good kid and I hope he grows up just like his father, ruling the village with a kind heart because I believe he could be that hero who brings peace to the shinobi nations… Will you let them know that? And make sure they know that this old geezer isn't going to just sit around doing nothing up here. I've got some more research to do."_

I felt tears trail down my face and held back a sob, feeling arms wrap around my waist as the scent of pomegranate washed over me, Kakashi calming me slightly as I lamented over a great teacher and a great friend's death. _I will, Jiraiya… I will._

* * *

The next afternoon was when I woke up, without Kakashi by my side. I spotted a note on my clothes though and felt slightly better that I now knew that Kakashi had gone out to grab me some lunch. _He's far too nice to me._ I thought, stretching with a yawn as I tried to remember about the code Tsunade asked me to figure out. _That first number though. I'm almost certain it's a letter and if it is, it could point us in the right direction as to what the key is._ I got up and headed downstairs, feeling the need to just walk around a bit to get my blood pumping as I thought silently to myself. _A book code maybe? But based on what? And if this is a letter, then the key's got to be something with that 'ta' character in it. Icha Icha Tactics? But that's ridiculous… isn't it?_

"Oh? Pacing, are we?"

I blinked, turning to see Kakashi there with a grin, holding up a bag with take-out in it.

"Kakashi…"

"Good afternoon, Shi. I was wondering when you'd wake up. You'd think a month worth of sleeping would keep you from sleeping in this late." He said, pulling the boxes and chopsticks out and setting them on the table. "So what were you thinking about?"

I sat down, picking up the take-out box and starting to eat. "The code Jiraiya left. There's something about that first character that has me wondering."

"Well, I find it's better to share ideas in order to get another perspective. Shikamaru actually just asked me about it, though I didn't have much to give him."

"It's just that… while Naruto and I were training with him, he had us reading his scripts for another opinion. And a lot of the time, his 'ta' characters would look like the number nine. So I'm wondering if that first character is actually a 'ta' and if so, then that means—"

"It's a clue to the key."

I nodded. "You agree then?"

Kakashi nodded as well, setting his lunch down, having finished his meal at light breaking speed. "It's something to look into."

"That's what I thought." I muttered, looking down dejectedly at my food that wasn't even half finished.

Kakashi chuckled, standing up. "If you want, you can take it with you. I trust that you have a marked kunai over by the library and hall of records?"

I nodded, and grabbed my food. "Shall we?"

He gave me a closed-eye smile. "Ready when you are."

I focused a bit of chakra and the two of us showed up outside of the hall of records, my nose quickly catching the scent of Shikamaru and Naruto. Judging by the conversation we overheard, Naruto was thinking the same thing I was and when Shikamaru mentioned going through all the books, Kakashi and I poked our heads through the window, Kakashi holding up Icha Icha Tactics.

"It's probably this one."

"Icha Icha Tactics… Ta!" Shikamaru stated with a smile, Naruto though was a bit more surprised.

"Kakashi! Shi!"

"Shi told me basically the same thing you just said, Naruto. I figured it was worth telling you guys about and came here."

I nodded, slurping up my noodles. "Yup. I guess reading that messy handwriting for so long really stuck in my head and bothered me until I could figure out the code. This _is_ , after all, the book he wrote while we were traveling together, right, Naruto?"

"Yeah!"

"It's something no one but you two could have known, Naruto, Shi. He must have left this code for you two."

Naruto smirked at Shikamaru, making me smile a bit as well knowing that Naruto seemed to have overcome Jiraiya's death for now.

"The 'ta' at the beginning of the code was referring to the Tactics volume of the Icha Icha series." Kakashi said, getting us all back on track.

"Some codes that use books go by character order or number of lines, but the first thing to do is check the page numbers." The woman said, probably a record keeper of some sort. "Let's see… there are six numbers separated by commas: 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, and 15. So we're talking information from six pages. First, we start with page 31. Open it up to that page."

"Pages 31..." Kakashi muttered, flipping to said page. "Got it. So now what?"

"First, let's get the first character on the page. We want to know it's meaning too, so read the whole sentence."

Kakashi and I paled, knowing what this meant and we both looked at each other nervously.

"What's the matter? Just hurry up and read it!" Naruto scolded, and we sweat dropped.

"Uh… okay…"

Kakashi began reading off the lines, stuttering a bit here and there with the explicit content and once we finished—though Naruto and the code-breaker weren't phased—Shikamaru obviously had a new opinion on people who read the Icha Icha series.

"Okay. This is all six pages."

"So what have you got?" Naruto asked, eagerly.

"If I read the first character of each line, I get 'the real one isn't there'."

Things grew quiet and I frowned in contemplation.

"What's that mean?" Naruto questioned, extremely confused.

"It could have something to do with the enemy he fought." I announced and Kakashi nodded.

"Possibly. At any rate, we've got to let Fukasaku know. He fought Pain, so he might know something."

"All right." Shikamaru said. "Then let's have the Fifth call this Fukasaku right away."

"Can I come with you?" The code-breaker asked excitedly and Shikamaru nodded.

"Sure, Shiho."

"Okay!" Naruto said, loudly. "Let's go let her know."

I let out a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck and Kakashi let out a chuckle and gave me a pat on the back as we all hurried off to the Hokage's office. Once there, Kakashi and I stood by to listen in as the elder-looking frog looked over the code we'd given him.

"So, how 'bout it, gramps?! Do you know what it means?" Naruto asked eagerly.

The frog was quiet for a moment before handing the paper back. "I don't know. This is too vague."

"Well, do you have any thoughts?" Shikamaru asked, searching for anything that could give us a hint.

"I've told you everything I know about Pain. It seems he can revive himself if he dies… though that's only a guess. It's too dangerous to fight him now. We have to solve the mystery first."

I tapped my fingers against my thigh, a small frown marring my features. _They mentioned that there's six of these Pain characters and each one has some different power. If that's true, plus the fact that he can revive himself, doesn't it sound a lot like that Kakuzu guy? He was able to revive himself in a way because he has different hearts. Is this guy the same or at least similar?_

"What about other sources of information?" Kakashi questioned, drawing me out of my inner thoughts. "Like the autopsy and the interrogation."

"Looks like they'll take a while longer." Sakura supplied, though Naruto didn't seem to like that answer.

"How much longer?"

"It's impossible to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?! We don't have time to sit around and wait!"

I rolled my eyes. _Typical Naruto. Always trying to get ahead and stay moving. For him, patience is not a virtue._

"I don't know about the interrogation, but the autopsy involves carefully analyzing cells and tissue! It takes time!"

"It'll be a week at the earliest." Tsunade said, not wanting them to argue, most likely.

"That long?" Naruto dropped his head.

"Come on, don't let it get you down, Uzumaki." Shiho said, adjusting her glasses and I decided to speak up, more interested in what we need to do next, rather than the amount of time it'll take for more information.

"So what now?"

"Shizune's overseeing the autopsy, she'll probably be quicker than usual, but we have no choice but to wait."

"I'm gonna go tell them to hurry up!" Naruto said, starting to walk towards the door.

"Naruto." I grumbled, but Sakura was more aggressive about stopping him.

"Hey, Naruto! I won't let you interfere with Shizune's work!"

"I'm gonna avenge that Pervy Sage!" Naruto said, confidently. "I can't just sit around and wait!"

"… _he's a good kid…"_

Jiraiya's voice echoed in my head and even I felt a stirring in my gut, telling me that I shouldn't be standing around. So I knew how Naruto felt and, once he was done talking to Fukasaku and headed out to get ready for yet another trip to train, I turned to Tsunade.

"Would it be alright if I trained as well?"

Tsunade dropped her chin in her hand, giving me a look. "You _just_ got out of the hospital yesterday after a month long coma and you already want to go back to training?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She quickly slammed her hand on the desk and jumped to her feet. "Absolutely not!"

I frowned and since Kakashi saw where this was going, he quickly escorted the others in the room out, closing the door as I walked up to her desk.

"Let me train." I said, eyes not shifting from hers as she vehemently glared back

"I already said, no. Do _not_ make it an order."

I didn't move, the air in the room growing tenser as I spoke. "And what if I'm not prepared? What if his killer comes here in search of Naruto or I? Pain is Akatsuki. Do you expect me to stand back and watch as he attacks the village? Attacks Naruto? Or do you expect me to fight, only to get captured instead?"

"I expect you to keep your head and not do anything stupid. Training before you've even recovered is—"

"It may be reckless, but I need it. I _know_ my body. I know how it works better than anyone. And right now, I need to build up my strength and my partnership with Shoji, not to mention working with the beast. I am also not just going to sit back and do nothing while Pain gets away with murdering my sensei."

She continued to glare at me for a moment, but slowly, her eyes softened and she let out a sigh; dropping back into her chair as she pulled the bangs away from her face.

"Very well. I will give you permission to train. However, if you are training with the beast, I expect Yamato to be in the vicinity. We do not need an out of control rage going on before someone like Pain possibly attacks. And I also expect you to put in some time to help figure out Pain's weaknesses and a strategy to counter him if he attacks."

"Of course. Thank you, Tsunade-sa—Urgh!"

I had forgotten how close to Tsunade's desk I had gotten during our arguing and had proceed to bow lowly as thanks, only to ram my head harshly onto it. I crouched in front of it, holding my head in pain as Tsunade full on laughed at my misfortune, peeking at me from over the edge of the desk with a smirk.

"And here I was thinking about respecting you a bit for finally going against my orders. Enjoy your training, Shi." She said, leaning back as I stood up; still rubbing my aching head. "And try not to end up in the hospital again, this time."

I bowed slightly, glaring at her desk before leaving, exiting to find Kakashi raising a brow at my pained expression.

"Did she say no?"

"No. I can train. I just… made friends with her desk…" I muttered, cheeks turning red in embarrassment as Kakashi chuckled lightly.

"Well then, glad to know you're making friends."

I frowned at him, playfully, before heading off. After all, I had a lot of work ahead of me.


	13. Chapter 13

A sharp left turn, another, a right turn, a small jump, a left turn, a circle and then a u-turn. Around the stump, around another, over a log, under the branches, another stump, another log, lower branches, another log. Circle once, twice, three times, break off, jump and into a tight right turn, then a straight run. Faster, faster, as quickly and silently as possible, just _run_. Then, final hurdle. Higher this time, shoulder height and no room for error. Faster, pick up speed, split second decision, perfect timing… _now_.

Shoji immediately jumped, tucking his legs under perfectly and landing with precision over the near ten foot tall propped up log. The landing was rough for me, but I had grown almost used to it at this point, Shoji being kind enough to give me some pointers on how to adjust my body while he was jumping so that the landing wouldn't be as difficult. As I turned him around though, sweat dripping down the side of my face and down his body as well, I frowned as the log slowly rolled its way off the stumps I had gotten it on.

"Dammit." I cursed, wiping the sweat off the side of my face. "We tapped it just enough…. How's your legs?"

Shoji panted, pawing a hoof in the dirt. "I can go again. It hit the pads on my hind legs, so no damage."

I nodded, breathlessly, steering him back towards the beginning of the make shift obstacle course and taking a short rest before preparing for one more run; namely me putting the huge log back up where it was. Climbing back up on him and lying low on his back, I gave him head way, and off we went again. We managed to clip the log a second time, though it didn't fall and I deemed that good enough, rolling off Shoji's back and plopping on the floor with a groan.

"Ugh."

He nudged me with his nose, sweat and dirt smearing on my face as I lazily shoved him off.

"Hey, I want to rest as much as you do. Now get this stuff off me."

I begrudgingly got up and removed the saddle, bit and reins, armor, and protective padding and weights from Shoji, hanging them on a thick branch to air them out and allowing him to move into the shade and lie down next to my things. I too, headed that way and began rifling through my bag to find the notes I had from Jiraiya on Pein, and leaning against Shoji as I tried to figure things out.

"What do you think, Shoji? There's six bodies with different powers each and he can revive himself. Then the code Pervy sensei gave us says 'the real one isn't in them'. Yet he was able to land physical hits on them without them disappearing like clones and vice versa without a Genjutsu revealing itself. Do you think it's like Kakuzu? Where each body is another 'heart'?"

The horse let out a long sigh through his nose, upturning the corners of my pages. "If that were true, there would still be bodies missing when he revived. The code is more interesting. Is he saying there's a seventh?"

I frowned, closing my eyes tiredly and leaning my head back against him. "I dunno. Like a mastermind or something? Are the bodies, puppets then?"

"If they were, he wouldn't likely care about reviving them. Replacing is easier."

I let out my own sigh. "You're just shooting everything down."

He snorted. "Humans are complicated and simple at the same time. Horses are easier to understand. Coming up with answers to your problems is not such an easy task. The only problems we have are territory, mares, and food."

I scoffed. "You have it easy then."

Shoji seemed to smirk for a second, before closing his own eyes and lying his large head across my lap, the two of us too exhausted to really think or argue much more. We both started to drift off, though our senses remained alert as always, but we needed our rest after everything we'd been doing since we saw Naruto off days ago.

Shoji and I had been running this same obstacle course every day for hours on end, though we had toughened it up at times when it became too easy and too routine. Then, I'd usually look over Jiraiya's notes and try to come up with something on my own before running the course again later, after we took a break. Once that was through, I brought whatever suspicions I had about the code and weaknesses to Shikamaru and Sakura for further ideas and getting rid of the impossible and went to go train with my beast.

All of this had me returning home completely exhausted and leaving me collapsing usually on the floor somewhere or on the couch, if I was lucky. I suppose I shouldn't complain though, because I _was_ luck and occasionally woke up in my bed despite having fallen asleep on the ground. I suspected Kakashi had something to do with it, though I hadn't yet had a chance to thank him for it. I had just been too busy.

Shoji alerted me to someone coming over and I peeked open an eye to find the person I was just thinking about, walking over with a grin.

"Aw, I was hoping to watch you sleeping a bit longer. It's cute~"

"Well, you're out of luck." I muttered, though my cheeks were tinted a light pink. "I'm already awake."

He chuckled as I got up and stretched, before catching sight of the small bag he had with him.

"That for me?"

He held it up with a closed-eye grin. "Only if you share."

"Mm." I hummed, watching as he pulled out some mochi and a handful of carrots, passing me the mochi and giving the carrots to Shoji, who took them eagerly.

"Why can't you be this nice?" He complained as Kakashi chuckled, snatching a mochi from the container he gave me.

"Because too many carrots will make you fat." I said bluntly, chewing the mochi and reaching for another one just as I heard something, making me stop and frown as I looked over to where the village was not too far off.

"Shi?" Kakashi asked, immediately knowing something was up. "What do you hear?"

"Nothing good." I muttered, trying to listen for the sound again, only to quickly stuff a mochi in my mouth and shove the rest into my never-ending pouch. "Explosions. In the village. We need to hurry."

He nodded, all fun and games gone as seriousness took its place, and I quickly dismissed Shoji, before grabbing Kakashi.

"We'll show up at my place first and split up from there. I'm going to need a few things before I can fight."

He nodded, wrapping a hand around my waist as I focused my chakra and we showed up at my apartment. I went to walk into my place, but Kakashi suddenly whipped me around and pressed his un-coved lips to mine in a haste kiss, pulling away with a grin as he pulled back up his mask.

"Be careful."

I kissed him back lightly. "I will… Hang onto this…" I passed him one of my marked kunai. "…Just in case."

He nodded and then hurried off to go help in whatever was going on as I grabbed a few things and went to go as well. I jumped up on the roof first though, checking for anything that would warrant my attention first and spotted the perfect opponent. _A giant centipede. Perfect._ And right by the library too. I smirked and quickly flashed to the library kunai I had and then built up my chakra and let my beast out, shaking out my fur and charging over towards the giant centipede summon. I was just in time too, a kid had fallen right in front of it and just before it could do anything, I was able to grab the centipede in my jaws and rip it in half. I found it odd though. My jaws were ringing.

An odd thing to say, of course, but it was similar to your head ringing. It was actually the only way I could describe it and, as Sakura showed up to help the kid, I tried to figure out what it was that made my mouth feel odd like that.

"Shi! What are you doing?! Stop sniffing and go help!" Sakura shouted at me, but I had just figured it out.

 _This rod…_ _**"It's a chakra receptor."**_ I said, catching her attention.

"Huh?"

" _ **I felt something odd earlier when I attacked it."**_ I said, pinning the centipede down and using my mouth to rip out the black rod in its head. _**"This. It's a chakra receptor. I think that's how the Pein's are revived. Someone's sending chakra to keep the bodies alive."**_

Sakura's eyes widened, before she grew serious and nodded. "I'll send someone to tell the Hokage. I need to get to the hospital first."

I nodded, dropping the chakra rod and spotting another large summon over by the interrogation building. _**"Okay. I'm off to get the other giant summons."**_

* * *

Kakashi frowned, having just sent Iruka off with an injured shinobi, but didn't have time to think before being forced to duck as the Pein he was fighting swung a kick at him. Kakashi slammed his hands into the ground and brought up an earth wall, but that did little to stop Pein from stabbing him in the shoulder with one of his black metal rods. Kakashi hung onto it though, keeping Pein where he was as he launched a Lightning Blade at the man, but he felt something odd before the man dodged it. _What… was that?_

"Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja… It's an honor to meet you. Where's the nine-tailed beast?"

"That's a stupid question." Kakashi said, jumping back and making another Lightning Blade. Before he could even hit, though, he was launched back into a building, being buried under the rubble. He managed to get back out though, but he was beginning to feel worried. _What… was that move? It didn't feel like a shockwave… What was it?! Everything around him was blown away._ He frowned, before using another jutsu, a large dog made of lightning running towards Pein, only for Pein to repel it. _So it repels both physical attacks and ninja techniques… Impressive… Now what should I do?_ Just then, another Pein showed up behind him.

"Another one, eh?"

Kakashi was one step ahead though and tried to hit him with a Lightning Blade, but the man dodged, surprising Kakashi. _He was still facing forward!_ He then spotted the other Pein and remembered something Fukasaku told him. _Their eyes are linked! They have a shared field of vision._

" _The trick to fighting Pein is to always take him on one-on-one. Each body can only use one power. Finding out which he's using is key."_

 _Did Jiraiya really take on all six of him?_ Kakashi wondered, feeling slight worry for Shi and wondering how she was doing, but he knew he needed to focus. _There's definitely something fishy about him…_ Unexpectedly, the new Pein pulled off his cloak to reveal, not only four heads, but six arms and a poison tail. Kakashi didn't have too much time to think about him, before the other Pein held out a hand and Kakashi was being pulled towards the tail. _I'm being drawn in… I get it… so that's his power…_ Kakashi said, realizing what he was dealing with and pulling out a weighted chain and wrapping it around a building pillar to keep himself from being impaled.

 _Pein, if I try to fight them alone, there's no way I'll win. I've got to call for reinforcements… I've got to let them know his power! I'll do as much as I can myself and I always have Shi's kunai if I need to get out of here._ Just then, the tugging sensation grew and he lost his grip on the chain, flying forward and being impaled by the tail. Thankfully, it was only a lightning clone and reinforcements had arrived; two giant hands coming down to hit the two Peins, though only managing to crush one.

"That's one down, Kakashi." Choza said, the real Kakashi popping out of a hidden trap in the rubble.

"I was prepared for this… but I'm glad I can store my chakra."

"Are you okay, Kakashi?"

"Somehow."

"Kakashi, how's your chakra level?"

"I used a Lightning clone so I only have about half my chakra left. Honestly, fighting this type of opponent for a long time will be tough. However, I think I've worked out a little of his ability."

The Pein was on the move then, and Choza's group went to attack, only for everything to get repelled. Kakashi spotted something though and launched a smoke kunai, so he could update the others.

"What did he do?" Choza asked.

"He deflects attacks. He has the ability to pull and push things from his center. It seems he controls gravity and repulsion forces. He doesn't seem able to use it in quick succession though. There seems to be an interval before he can use it again."

"Everyone was floored by the last attack." Choji said. "If he can deflect everything, how can we beat him?"

"The interval is short, we can't get close to him." Choza agreed, both of them doubtful.

"But we have to aim for that. I have an idea. Can I count on you guys?" Kakashi asked, before quickly explaining and then moving underground while the smoke screen was still up.

Kakashi quickly launched himself up with a kunai, but Pein used his gravitation to knock him back.

"You move well." Pein said, pulling out another metal rod. "You also have an array of jutsu. Failing to kill someone like you would mean trouble for me in the long run."

 _Now!_ Choza and Choji immediately came out of nowhere, in giant spiked boulders, but Pein stopped them.

"Too slow."

What he didn't realize were the chains that they used to tighten around him, having been placed underground by Kakashi earlier. Kakashi took his chance and thrust a Lightning Blade forward, but the other Pein got between them. Kakashi desperately pushed forward, hoping to cut through him and into the other Pein, but they were too late and he pushed them all back, collapsing buildings and trapping Kakashi in the rubble.

"Seems like you really can't move." Pein said. "Seems like you're not a clone either. Now I'll have you die. This is the end. Know Pein."

Pein picked up a nail and, Kakashi resigned himself, knowing that he couldn't dodge it. _Shi… I'm sorry…_

* * *

As I hurried off towards the summons, I suddenly felt a deep sinking sensation in my stomach and turned my head towards where I had seen fighting earlier. Something was wrong, very wrong. This was the same feeling I had when Asuma had died and now I was worried if someone else close to me had died. _Please be okay, Kakashi…_ I thought, turning back and running towards the interrogation building. A rather large earth-based pig landed on the three headed dog I had spotted, but that didn't stop it, so I hurried over there and grabbed a hold of it by the neck, tugging it away from the building with a bit of effort as I tossed it into a building nearby; already knowing that the civilians in that area were evacuated.

" _ **Pest."**_

 _But where's the summoner?_ I heard a crash then and turned to see something half stuck inside the interrogation building, making me mentally curse as I headed over to yank it out. I managed to grab it by its back ankle and pull it out, but the building was already unstable and collapsed, making me worry. Thankfully, Tsunade's familiar slug summon was there and helped protect the people inside.

"It's a strong summoning. Everyone be careful!" An Anbu shouted to them, and I gave them a pointed look, now that the Rhino summon was beginning to get annoyed about me hanging onto its leg.

" _ **Oi, I'll take care of the summons. Find the summoner!"**_

Ibiki mentioned he was going to take care of that, but I had to give them one last bit of information.

" _ **One more thing! The rods are chakra receivers!"**_

Shizune nodded. "We know that already!"

" _ **Think!"**_ I scolded, being forced to release the rhino as it tried to impale me with its horn. _**"The rods could be how he's able to revive! Take out the rods and it should just be a body! And the code, Shoji gave me an idea. There may be a seventh! A mastermind behind the six Pein's! Now hurry!"**_

Her eyes widened, but Ibiki quickly shooed her and Inoichi off as his group decided to go after the summoner. I kept the dog preoccupied and tried to get the rhino's attention on me too, but Ibiki was making that difficult. I was distracted for a moment though by the rhino and the dog took that opportunity to knock me back, tossing me all the way to the Hokage building. As I shook my head and got the dirt and rubble off me though, I caught sight of Tsunade looking at me. I didn't know what it was, but there was just something in her eyes telling me that she knew something I didn't. And that whatever it was, I wouldn't like it one bit. I frowned, eyeing her warily, searching for any clue it could be, but she just ducked her head and turned around as Choji suddenly appeared to give her more information; something I listened in to as I hurried back, my hearing more than able to keep a hold of a conversation as long as I was within a certain distance.

"Hokage! We figured out one of the enemy's powers!"

"Tell me."

"This one is male, about 25-30. He has six nose piercing and seven in his ears. He uses some sort of power that's like gravitation and repulsion! He can draw anything towards him and he can repel any attack."

"Repel anything?" Someone else said, a voice I didn't recognize.

"Yes! But there's about a five second interval after he uses his powers before he can use it again!"

"Only five seconds…"

"Thank you for letting me know! We'll lose a lot fewer people now. Use Katsuyu to tell everyone else!"

"Right!"

I struggled to listen in to their conversation as I got further, but I was already well out of range and missed whatever they said next as I tackled the dog once more and fought tooth and nail.

* * *

"Behind you!" An Anbu shouted, as the Pein Kakashi had been fighting landed on the roof where Tsunade was. "Six piercing in his nose and seven in his ears… It's him…"

"You…" _It can't be…_

"Long time no see, Tsunade." Pein said. "You're the only one left of the three ninjas. I've wanted to talk with you."

"You're… that kid…" _I can't believe it…_

"Looks like you remember me."

"Do you know him?" An Anbu asked.

"A little."

"Who is he?"

Tsunade stayed quiet, but Pein was more than willing to give them an answer.

"The God who will restore order."

"He's not an ordinary ninja, that's for sure." Another Anbu replied.

"Where is Naruto Uzumaki? Where is the nine-tailed beast?"

"Who knows…?" Tsunade said, knowing that she can't give up Naruto's whereabouts.

"I've captures almost all the hosts. The ninja villages have lost the equilibrium of the tailed beasts. It's no use hiding the nine-tailed beast. The fighting will start soon. The embers of war are already smoldering, and we will control the war. If you cooperate, I'll be willing to help you. You must be aware of the situation… of our power."

"Don't underestimate the 5th Hokage!" Tsunade shouted, sending a quick glance at where she saw Shi fighting a giant summon. _I can't let him realize the other beast we have._ "You're just a bunch of terrorists trying to destroy the stability our forefathers worked for! Whatever you say is meaningless!"

"Don't be so haughty." Pein said, glaring and showing them just how much power he had. "Your peace results in violence towards us."

"I'm not saying everything Konoha has done has been right! But I won't accept your way of doing things!"

"Watch what you say. This is your last warning from God. Tell me where Naruto is."

"We will use everything we have to fight you! That is all! And you're wrong about one thing… You'll never get what you want most!"

"If you think Konoha's ninjas can protect Naruto forever—"

"That's not it!" Tsunade smirked at him. "Naruto… is strong."

"Then perhaps I should take that other beast you are protecting." Pein said, glancing over at Shi. "They're not even showing half of their true power."

Tsunade frowned. "Then you'll know that you couldn't possibly take them."

He turned his gaze back to her, but then closed his eyes. "Looks like Naruto isn't here. Myobokuzan… That's the frog village, isn't it? Looks like there's no reason to hang around here anymore."

 _How?! How did he find out?!_ "You bastard." Tsunade growled.

"Tsunade…" An Anbu spoke quietly. "We should let him go and use that time to strengthen our protection of the village."

"Damn."

"And one last thing." Pein said. "The chakra in your feet… is that to guard against my technique? I guess that means you know all about my powers. Everything in meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. You great nations have proven that."

"You…"

"You think you're the only ones who matter. You think you can pull off death, but peace has made you foolish and thoughtless. If you kill someone, someone else will kill you. Hatred binds you together."

"Enough of your nonsense." Tsunade spat.

"War brings pain and injury to both sides."

"The great nations have suffered too! I've had enough of your accusations!"

"Don't make me laugh." Pein said, climbing up onto the edge of the roof. "I want you to feel pain, to think about pain, to accept pain, to know pain."

 _Does he still have something up his sleeve?!_ Tsunade thought, concerned. _He better not be going after Shi too!_

"Those who don't know pain can never know peace." Pein said, jumping up into the sky and making the other Peins retreat, leaving Tsunade to chase after him, not knowing what he was going to do.

* * *

Just then, the dog and the rhino summon left. _What?_ I looked around, but the summons were gone. Even the other area where the other Pein's should have been, they were gone. There was just one left and I watched him from down below, cautious. _What is he doing? Did he take all the Pein's back? And if so why?_ I suddenly had a thought and my eyes widened in a panic.

" _ **Oh no… Get back!"**_ I shouted, desperately. _**"He's going to do something big! Get back!"**_

 _He's taking all of them out of the fight so that he can use them! If he can gather the chakra of all six Pein's together, then he's preparing for a massive-scale attack!_ I looked around, knowing that he was going to hit right below him and spotted a couple of children running for their lives with their elderly grandmother stumbling behind them. I had merely seconds and quickly spun around, dashing over and grabbing them in my jaws, putting them on my back, and carrying them away just as Pein launched his devastating attack.

I could feel the damage as rubble was launched up into the air and battered my body, but as I ran, I picked people up. More and more people, placing them on my back and telling them to hang on as the destruction nipped at my heels. Finally, I knew I wasn't going to make it completely into the safe area, so I grabbed everyone from off my back and covered them with my body, protecting them as buildings crashed down on top of me. I must have blacked out at a point, because when I awoke, all I saw was darkness. I heard soft crying though and felt a wave of relief rush through me at the group of people protected under me. The heavy weight on my back though, reminded me that I couldn't relax just yet though.

" _ **Move as close to the center of me as you can."**_ I told the group. _**"I need to get the rubble off and I don't want you getting hurt if it should fall under me."**_

The group was hesitant, most of them civilians, but a few shinobi that I had grabbed nodded and began moving everyone as I struggled to get my paws under me and lift the heavy concrete off me. It was difficult and I nearly crushed everyone at least once; just barely managing to catch myself before I fell. Luckily though, I managed to get it all off and ordered the shinobi to take the civilians somewhere safe as I looked around for others. _Kakashi…_ I transformed back into my usual self, hoping to conserve energy for now and spotted one of Tsunade's slugs nearby, crawling off of someone. I quickly headed over and helped the person, doing what first aid I could before making a clone to get them to safety, before looking over at the slug.

"What's Tsunade's status?"

"She's okay, but running low on chakra."

I nodded, looking around. "And the status of ninja overall?"

"Many casualties, but I was able to protect everyone I was attached to. The majority of civilians have been evacuated, so their number of casualties is significantly lower."

I nodded again, that pit of worry filling up in my stomach. "What about Kakashi? Is he safe?"

The slug went quiet, making me frown.

"Is he safe?" I repeated.

"I… protected his body as well, however, Tsunade has ordered me to keep his condition secret from you."

My fists clenched tightly at my sides and it glared at the slug. "You tell her, I will not tolerate secrecy about his well-being if she wants me to obey _any_ future orders of hers." I growled, before focusing my chakra and flashing to Kakashi. What I found did not look good. A couple more of Tsunade's slugs were there, but they immediately backed off at my appearance.

I spotted Choza nearby, but quickly turned my gaze back to Kakashi. "How is Choza?"

One of the slugs spoke. "H-He will be alright with some medical treatment."

I nodded, creating a clone to take him to safety as I knelt by Kakashi's side. I went to brush his hair back, but my finger came into contact with something and the nail I saw protruding from his forehead had pure rage billowing up inside me. I felt tears pricking my eyes and I stood, not bothering to turn towards the slugs behind me.

"Who did this to him? Which Pein?"

"I-I believe it is the one with gravitational powers, but s-shouldn't you wait for Tsunade's orders?"

I glared over my shoulder at the slug, grey chakra beginning to cloak my form and I turned back around as I walked off. "If she wants him dead, then I'll _gladly_ be the one to end this."

* * *

Tsunade grit her teeth in anger now that she had a full view of the destruction Pein had caused. The other five Peins were summoned then, and Tsunade wasn't about to let them come near Naruto now that they'd shown up.

"I am the 5th Hokage, and I will never forgive you… for trampling on the treasure, the dreams of those who came before me! As Hokage, I will put a stop to you here and now!"

"Looks like you understand a little of my pain now… but… I have no use for you." Pein replied, launching the Demon Pein at her. "The one I want—"

"Is me, right?!" Naruto shouted, having gotten in front of her and slamming the Pein into the ground, before speaking to Tsunade. "There's no need for Konoha's Hokage to deal with the likes of these guys. You just go enjoy a nice cup of tea or something."

"Naruto…"

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Pein murmured.

"Let's settle this once and for all!" Naruto shouted, as the Peins split up into a formation.

"Gamakichi!" A large frog landed behind him. "Take Tsunade to safety."

"Roger!"

"Granny… leave this to me! Tell the villagers not to interfere! It'll just make it harder to fight if I have to protect them at the same time."

"All right. Then take Katsuyu with you." She said, holding out a slug. "He should be useful. He has intel on them."

"Ah! Wait!" Katsuyu said, looking worried and giving Tsunade a worried look. "I-I've come into contact with Shi… She found Kakashi…"

Tsunade cursed as Fukasaku snatched the slug and landed on Naruto's large scroll on his back, telling Katsuyu to hide in Naruto's pocket.

"I won't be able to stop her, Naruto. Kakashi is…"

"I get it..." Naruto said. "Go, Gamakichi."

Said frog jumped off as the Animal Pein summoned the rhino, which charged at Naruto, but he just stopped it and threw it up into the air. The dog and a bull were summoned next, but the two elder frogs did an attack, stopping them in their tracks as Naruto made two clones and began making Rasengans. The two clones then hit the summons up into the air with Giant Rasengans and Naruto's summoned frogs attacked them. As the real Naruto charged headfirst at the Peins, Katsuyu gave him information.

"Naruto! Ninja techniques won't work on this Pein. He'll absorb any techniques you use."

"Then I'll just use frog katas!" Naruto said, throwing a punch and apparently missing, yet the Pein was still hit and thrown back. "I'll put an end to this right now with my new move!"

Now that the summons were gone aside from one, Naruto felt he had the advantage and created two clones.

"I see, so you've become a sage, just like Master Jiraiya."

"Master Jiraiya?" Naruto questioned.

"I studied under him too. He was my old master." Pein explained. "I'm your fellow pupil. We both studied under the same master. We should be able to understand each other. Our master longed for peace.

"Don't make me laugh!" Naruto shouted, a huge Rasen Shuriken held high above his head. "Look at what you've done… How can you call this peace?!"

"You can't see the forest for the trees." Pein said. "You don't understand the meaning of peace. Come quietly. Your death will lead to peace."

"I said… don't make me laugh!" Naruto shouted, throwing the Rasen Shuriken and expanding it at just the right moment.

Another summon was thrown out this time, a large bird, but Naruto dodged it.

"Deidara was right. You can't be reasoned with." Pein said.

The dog summon that had been under Naruto's frog split in half then, attacking the other two frogs. Doing a last ditch effort in order to stop the use of the Rinnegan eyes that Pein had, Naruto was 'eaten' by one of the frogs along with the Animal Pein, where he quickly and easily defeated it. Unfortunately, Naruto had used up his sage mode and already, he could sense Shi closing in.

"Now's my chance." Pein said, but Naruto had one more trick up his sleeve.

As Gama went an attacked Pein, Naruto ran off with the scroll he had. Pein had blocked his way though.

"Dammit."

"Over here, Naruto!" Fukasaku said. "Give it to me! I'll do it!"

Naruto tossed him the scroll and began fighting Pein without his sage mode. Gama wanted his share of fighting too though.

"Get out of the way, kid! I'll do it!"

"I'm going to use sage mode! You guys stand back! I don't want you getting caught by the Rasen Shuriken!"

"No more bravado!" Gama said, slamming his hand down as Naruto's clone was finally summoned.

"I've got him! End the technique!"

The clone poofed away and Naruto regained his sage mode, much to Pein's surprise as he was kicked across the clearing. Naruto then quickly summoned two more clones and made a Rasen Shuriken, throwing it at Pein, only for the Hungry Ghost Pein to absorb his technique. _Him?!_

"Oh yeah… he can absorb any technique." Naruto's clone said.

"But I thought he was dead."

Naruto spotted the third Pein then, with some kind of object beside him.

"What's that?!"

"Looks like that Pein is the key." Katsuyu said.

"The one gramps said could revive the others?"

"That's probably him."

 _Hm…_ "That's why when they were in formation, that Pein was furthest back. And the ones on the left is the one to watch out for… He can repel any attack and draw anything towards himself. He hasn't used his powers yet… That's strange… Maybe there's a reason he can't use his powers right now." Naruto groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wish Shi was here. She'd know what's going on."

As he did this, he began forming two Rasengans.

"Either way, I've gotta get that one in the back first! Smoke bombs together! Okay!"

He slammed a Rasengan into the ground as his clones threw two smoke bombs. He then had a Rasen Shuriken aimed for the Pein, only for it to transform into Naruto, who tackled the man to the ground. Behind him, was a real Rasen Shuriken, but before it could hit, the God Pein repelled it.

"My strength has finally returned."

Naruto wasn't done though and covered the Hungry Ghost Pein's eyes, just as a Naruto clone fell out of the sky with Double Rasengans, taking out the Hell Pein. With only two Pein's left, Naruto and his clone went to finish them off, but God Pein repelled them both. Thankfully, Naruto was uninjured and his frog summons went to attack God Pein, as he tried to think up something.

"Dammit! What the hell is that technique?!"

"It looks like the main Pein's power is back." Katsuyu said. "It was probably his power that destroyed the village. Probably the more power he uses, the longer he must wait before he can use that technique again."

"So that's why he couldn't use it until just now… What should I do? I can't uses either ninja techniques or physical attacks on him" Naruto paused, sweat forming on his brow as he turned to look over to his right. "And Shi's nearly here…"

Fukasaku raised a bushy eyebrow. "Isn't that a good thing? She can provide a distraction."

Naruto scratched the back of his head with a frown. "I don't think it'll be that easy. Shi just found out about Kakashi-sensei and… I don't think there will be any rationalizing with her." Naruto winced, turning back to face ahead. "And she's _definitely_ pissed."

"Ah!" Katsuyu said, bringing Naruto's attention back to it. "Choji said there's about a five second interval until Pein can use his technique again. You'll just have to aim for that interval."

"Only five seconds…"

"I guess we'll have to use an illusion." Fukasaku said. "Just like before!"

"But how? I can't do illusions!"

"I'll do it!"

Naruto suddenly paled, looking back over to his right. "W-We might not need to."

"Hm?"

Naruto's three frogs were suddenly launched back, but before even Pein could react, a huge grey beast came out of nowhere and attacked. Pein barely managed to get out of its jaws before they snapped closed, ripping off the end of his Akatsuki cloak as the beast swiveled in the dirt with a low growl.

"T-That's…"

Naruto nodded to Fukasaku. "Shi… is _not_ happy."

"I'd better do the illusion right away." Fukasaku said. "It'll need a lot of sage chakra. In other words, it'll take a while before I'm ready."

"I'll help Shi and go for the five-second interval. You create the illusion as soon as you've got enough sage chakr—"

Naruto was cut off by a deafening howl and turned around to see Shi attacking Pein relentlessly. There was something he noticed though; despite the icy glare she was giving Pein, there were tears at the corner of her eyes and the howl she had let out earlier was one _filled_ with despair. _Shi…_ Naruto could practically hear her crying out at Pein.

 _You killed him! You_ killed _him! How could you?! Bring him back to me! Bring him back!_

Pein managed to launch her back then, slamming her into the crater wall. Naruto glanced over at her, but was slightly reassured when she stood and shook her fur off, growling once more at Pein.

"You're both very strong." Pein said. "No one's ever given Pein this much trouble before… but… that's enough."

Pein pulled Naruto towards him, something unexpected, and Naruto was grabbed by Hungry Ghost Pein, unable to get away for now.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. You're one of my precious hosts, after all." Pein said, as Shi suddenly came out of nowhere and went to kill him.

He jumped above her, crushing her into the ground with his power.

"Shi!" Naruto shouted as Pein landed on top of her, slamming into her stomach.

"I don't know about this one though. It could prove useful."

Naruto frowned. "Don't underestimate me in sage mode and don't underestimate Shi either! Now it's my turn—" Naruto cut himself off as he realized that something was wrong.

"You're right." Pein said, calmly. "That would be troublesome."

Naruto's chakra was being sucked out of him and he was powerless as he lost his sage mode.

"The nine-tailed fox has been captured."

"Not yet." Naruto said. "It's not over yet."

"You sure are persistent."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on gathering sage chakra and it was then that Pein realized that something wasn't turning out as he planned. Hungry Ghost Pein was turning into a frog.

"Natural energy is difficult to control!" Naruto shouted, before breaking through the frog statue that Pein had turned into. "Shi!"

Shi suddenly snapped her head up, grabbing a hold of Pein's arm and throwing him across the crater. As she stood, she stumbled a bit, some blood dripping out of her muzzle as the aftermath of being crushed earlier. The grey chakra around her flared though, showing that she was nowhere _near_ being beaten yet.

"Now you're the only one left." Naruto said, but Pein disagreed.

"Hm, not quite."

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned, and Shi—surprisingly enough—answered.

" _ **There's a seventh Pein. A mastermind controlling these like puppets."**_

Suddenly, Pein threw his arm out to the side and Naruto's eyes widened as Fukasaku was pulled towards Pein.

"I've had enough of your illusions."

Naruto desperately tried to save him, as did Shi, but it was too late.

"You were a worthy opponent." Pein said, throwing the frog at Naruto as he got up and went to hit him.

Naruto caught him, but Pein pulled Naruto forwards, slamming him into the ground and pinning him there with one of his metal rods. Pein didn't have a chance to do much else though, before Shi went after him in her rage, only for him to easily knock her down and stop her movements as well; a rod through her muzzle and one in each of her limbs. Pein then knelt down in front of Naruto, a hand on the metal rod in his hands.

"Are you going to come quietly now, nine-tail?"

"Who the hell are you?! What the hell do you want?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why? Everything happens suddenly. The reasons only become clear later… Now that I have you here and your friend over there tied down… Yes, let's talk a bit."

As Pein spoke to Naruto about his ideas of peace and war, Shi struggled to get up and remove the rods. Pein had used his rods, not to pin her down like Naruto—thanks to her massive size—but just to stop her mobility. The rods prevented her joints from moving the way they should and because of the rod in her muzzle, she was unable to use her mouth to remove them. Shi was forced to watch as Pein used more rods to pin Naruto to the ground and threw the remaining elder frog aside. What was worse, was Shi couldn't move while watching Hinata come down to help and her getting stabbed by Pein just as she confessed her feelings for Naruto.

 _He killed her… He killed Hinata… No… No, no, no, no!_ Rage built up in her and with Naruto suddenly breaking free of the rods and going Kyuubi, the rage only grew. _Kakashi… Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi! Bring him back! Bring Hinata back!_ There was so much hatred within her, that she finally just let it all go. Shi had been holding back before, still worried about what would happen if she let go. Worried about the people she would hurt. But now… Now things were serious.

Naruto had grown six tails, bones covering his form, but Shi… Shi wasn't a tailed-beast. And yet, she had grown five of her own tails, grey chakra surrounding her beast form as she thrashed wildly. At this point, she was just as dangerous, if not more so, than the Kyuubi. She was, after all, supposed to be a jinchuriki killer. Pein was mildly surprised by her state, but spoke to them calmly.

"Do you hate me?"

 _Of course I hate you!_ Shi mentally shouted, paws clutching her head as they took on a more hand-like shape, though the claws remained. _You killed them! You killed them!_

"Do you really think people can understand each other like this?" Pein continued to question.

Shi couldn't think anymore. All she could do was feel pain, agony ripping through her chest. Through her head. She didn't have anything to stop herself this time. There was no Yamato, no Jiraiya, no necklace like Naruto's. There was nothing to stop the beast that had been chained up inside her, from breaking through. Pein had killed someone she _loved_ ; an emotion she didn't believe was possible for her after everything that had happened. And now that Pein had killed him and even went as far as to kill the one person willing to jump down and help her and Naruto, Shi lost it. All rational thoughts were gone and uncontrollable rage replaced everything.

" _ **Grraaaaaahhhh!"**_ She yelled, muzzle facing towards the sky as huge tears rolled down the side of her face.

Dark red armor formed over her shoulders, arms, legs, and chest as devilish looking horns sprouted out of her head and her chakra spiked to an immeasurable amount. Even Pein seemed a bit phased by this, having expected her to be more like the nine-tailed beast in front of him on all fours, yet here she was in all her rage standing up erect and laying icy grey eyes on him. His body shivered unconsciously at her stare and the long, slow sounding of metal leaving its sheath echoed through the crater as she pulled a pitch black sword out of seemingly nowhere.

Pein glanced over at Naruto, but there seemed to be something tying him down, so he focused his attention on the beast just in time to dodge her huge sword from crushing him into the ground. Right as he landed though, he was forced to use his Shinra Tensei gravity attack to push Naruto back. The only problem was, the nine-tailed beast had used said tails to keep himself in place, then used the attack against Pein to fling him back. He was just about to hit the ground, when the grey beast showed up and swung the sword once more, hitting him in the stomach and throwing him even harder into the wall; though he was lucky to have protected himself with another gravity attack or he'd be cut in half.

The required five seconds passed, and he used that to hit Naruto in the face and knock his Tailed-Beast Bomb off. Pein was surprised at just how much power Naruto had in this form, but he didn't have long to think before the grey beast let out a furious wail, before launching a paw out to attack him. _It's fast!_ He barely managed to dodge, though one of the claws cut deeply into his right arm. Taking a chance, Pein ran off towards the forest and the two beasts followed behind him. It took a moment, but his God Realm was finally able to work and he clapped his hands together.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

He threw a black orb into the air and it began pulling up the ground and trees around it, clumping them together in one giant mass. It was only a matter of time before Naruto and Shi were dragged up into it as well. What happened next, shocked everyone who was watching.

The nine-tailed beast slammed its way partially out of the giant rock, eight tails sticking out and its body being nothing but bones and muscles tied together. What was worse, was the grey beast that managed to do even more than that and completely pull itself out of the rock, slumped over and growling with chakra so dark that it almost looked _black_. Just looking at the beast had Pein on his knees in fear, something he hadn't known he still had, and the only thing he could think could cause him this much fear, was that he was seeing the devil himself.

* * *

" _ **Come here… Pull this seal off."**_

Naruto, stomach ripped into a bleeding hole, slowly got up and began walking forwards, reaching up and moving to take off the seal holding back the nine-tailed beast, when a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him, before the man yanked him back away from the paper.

" _ **Grrrr! You!"**_

"The fourth… Hokage…"

"The seal is set so that if eight tails are released, I'll appear within your consciousness." The man explained. "I didn't want that to happen… I never wanted to see you again… nine-tails. But… I looked forward to seeing how my son had grown… So I guess you could call it even."

* * *

"They both broke out of the Chibaku Tensei… I can't believe how strong he is, let alone, that other beast." Pein muttered to himself, sweat sliding down the side of his face as he locked eyes once more with Shi. "I'll have to make a bigger one…"

The grey beast let out another wail and used its sword to push itself up into a standing position, making Pein swallow thickly. _I'll need to make it quickly too._

* * *

" _ **Grrrrr! Fourth Hokage! Come here! I'll rip you to shreds!"**_

"Saying you're going to rip me to shreds isn't going to make me come closer." The fourth quipped. "Just the opposite, right, Naruto?"

"…Naruto?… That's my name… How…"

Naruto didn't know what to say. He'd never personally met the fourth Hokage. All he knows about him is the stories, the legends he left behind. So… how could a man he never met know his name?

"Huh?! 'Cause I gave you the name, of course. You're my heir, after all."

"Heir? Then… you mean…"

" _ **Grrrrrooooorrr!"**_ The nine-tailed fox growled, absolutely furious that the fourth had stopped him from finally coming back.

The fourth smile. "Yeah! Just what I said. You're my son."

It took Naruto a moment, but soon enough, he began to smile and tear pricked the corners of his eyes as he chuckled.

" _ **Grrr! Fourth!"**_

"He sure is a noisy one, isn't he?" The fourth chuckled, gesturing back at the fox. "Let's go talk somewhere else."

The man snapped his fingers and they left the darkened area where the fox had been and showed up in a white expanse where Naruto brought an arm up to his eyes as he cried and chuckled.

"I guess the third didn't tell you anything. He probably wanted to keep everything about the fox a secret." The fourth said. "If people knew you were my son, there might be trouble… I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Dad…" Naruto suddenly launched himself forward and punched the fourth in the stomach. "Why did you seal the fox inside your own son?! Do you know how much trouble it's caused me?! I don't know whether I'm happy or pissed off!"

Naruto began crying, thoroughly upset and it took Minato a moment before he could collect his thoughts.

"Naruto… how old are you now?"

"…16..."

"16, eh? It… must have been hard… Naruto. I'm sorry." Minato lowered his head. "I've done nothing but cause trouble for you… So maybe I shouldn't try to act like your father now when I'm apologizing."

Naruto did his best to dry up his tears. "It's… okay… I'm the son of the fourth Hokage… so I can deal."

Minato smiled lightly, before answering Naruto's question. "The reason I sealed half the fox's chakra inside you is because I believed you could use it… because you're my son. And there's another reason too… When the fox attacked 16 years ago, I realized something."

"What?"

"There was someone controlling the fox when it attacked the village."

* * *

Pein was struggling to keep the Chibaku Tensei together. Not only was his real body crumbling under the pressure, but the grey beast was almost completely free of it and only needed to find a way down. _And if it gets loose, I won't be able to hold this together any longer, thus releasing the nine-tails. Though at this point, I'm beginning to think that the nine-tails is the least of my problems… Just what is this thing?!_

* * *

A resounding howl echoed across the white expanse that Naruto and Minato were standing in and they both looked around in worry.

"That's not good."

Naruto began to panic. "T-That's Shi. It has to be, but…"

Minato frowned. "She's lost control."

Naruto spun around in shock. "You know Shi? Agh!" Naruto messed up his hair. "That's not important! Shi's totally pissed! She just found out about Kakashi-sensei and she could be attacking the village!"

Minato nodded, muttering under his breath. "Kakashi, you've definitely found yourself a troublesome woman…"

Minato flexed his hand a moment and took a deep breath, before looking over at Naruto.

"Naruto, I think I might be able to get us into her subconscious, but only for a little while. You'll have to be able to convince her to somehow get control back or else we could have a pretty dangerous situation on our hands."

"What? How?"

"You'll have to figure something out. I won't be able to go with you, because I need to use the last of my chakra to restore your seal." Minato said, moving in and doing just that. "I can sense just a little bit of the nine-tail's chakra in her, so I can connect with that and get you to her, but be careful, Naruto. Whatever Orochimaru has done to her all those years, it's _much_ stronger than you, me, or anyone else realizes."

Naruto looked a little worried, but Minato smiled.

"Come on. Don't look so worried. You're good friends, right? You can do it."

Naruto nodded, confidence growing and Minato said his goodbye, before the white expanse disappeared and Naruto found himself in a long dark hallway, similar to the one he used to see back in his own encounter with the Kyuubi.

"Shi?" He called out, starting to walk and feeling the pressure in the air grow denser the further in he went. "Shi?! It's me! I'm trying to help!"

Finally, he reached the room where the energy was the densest and when he entered, he grew worried upon seeing no Shi, but just a huge grey beast and the remains of broken chains lying around on the floor. _Is this what would've happened if I had pulled off the seal with the Kyuubi?_ Naruto wondered in concern, freezing in place as the beast laid eyes on him, ice seeming to swim through his veins at the mere sight of it.

" _ **Boy…"**_ It spoke lowly, smoke drifting from its mouth as it seemed to frown at him. " _ **You shouldn't be here. This is not your place."**_

"I-I, um…" Naruto swallowed thickly, before gathering the courage his father had given him and taking a step forward. "I'm here to help! What have you done with Shi?!"

The beast chuckled, turning its body to face him and dragging a chain still wrapped around its ankle across the floor.

" _ **So clueless, little boy… Shi is a part of me as much as I am a part of her."**_

"That's not true!" Naruto shouted. "Shi wouldn't do this! Shi doesn't hurt people like you do!"

The beast stepped closer, placing a hand on the ground in front of Naruto in order for it to lean down and bring its muzzle closer to him, smirking.

" _ **You really believe that, do you? Heh, such a clueless moron you are. Stupid human child. You know**_ **nothing** _ **of this woman, yet why do you care so much?"**_

"Because she's my friend!"

The beast laughed, moving just a little closer; the fog drifting from its mouth brushing over Naruto's body as its eyes bore into him.

" _ **Friend? Would she still be a friend if you knew of the things she's done? The lies she's told and the people she's killed?"**_ The beast smirked. " _ **Look there. Insecurity.**_ **You** _ **, child, know nothing. And nothing you can do will be able to bring her back now that she's let go of it all."**_

"T-Then show me!"

" _ **Hm?"**_ The beast frowned, not sure what to make of Naruto's statement.

Naruto swallowed again, though stayed confident. "Show me! Show me what Shi's done a-and if I still want to be her friend, then let her go!"

The beast stood back with a laugh, on that shook Naruto to the very core.

" _ **You dare challenge me?! Try to make a deal with**_ **me** _ **?! Are you really that stupid?!"**_ The beast stopped laughing then, reaching out quickly and grabbing Naruto in its fist. " _ **I could crush you right now. I was**_ **made** _ **to destroy you. You, and all the other little tailed-pests. Yet you have the**_ **gall** _ **to try and make a deal with the devil?"**_

Naruto cringed as the beast tightened its hold on him. "I-I want Shi back! I don't care about you or what you can do or whatever! Just bring her back!"

" _Bring him back! Bring Kakashi back!"_

Those words bounced off the room now, and the beast scowled as it looked up.

" _ **Just doesn't know when to give up, does she."**_ It grumbled, as Naruto began calling out.

"Shi! Shi, can you hear me?! You've got to snap out of it! Please! You could be destroying the village! Hurting people!"

" _ **Like it matters."**_ The beast scoffed, turning its gaze back to Naruto. " _ **We were**_ **made** _ **to do this.**_ **Made** _ **to kill jinchuriki like you, boy! What do we care about some buildings or civilians?! They mean nothing!"**_

" _Please… Please, bring him back…"_

The beast growled, dropping Naruto and spinning around, stomping off a little ways before spinning round in a circle, as if looking for something. That's when Naruto realized it.

"She's… not here, is she?"

The beast glanced at him, eyes narrowed in disgust. _**"She's hidden herself. The**_ **last** _ **of her sanity is tucked away somewhere and as soon as I find it, I'll have no more need for her anymore. I'll finally be free of all these stupid chains."**_ The beast growled and began prowling around, searching the room, despite there being nowhere that Shi could hide, but that one lonely chain tied to the beast's ankle caught Naruto's attention and—in a leap of faith—he rushed forward and grabbed a hold of the end of it.

"Shi! Shi! I know you can hear me! Please, you have to stop this! Stop this… this _thing_ from destroying everything! I thought you liked Konoha! The people in it! Guy and Shikamaru and that crazy snake lady and Tsunade! Everyone! So you have to stop it!"

" _Bring him back! Kakashi is… I loved…"_

Tears pricked Naruto's eyes as the beast turned around and glared at him, teeth peeking out from under its lips in a snarl.

"I-I know! I really liked him too! H-He was my sensei and I'm upset too, about what happened, but you need to stop this! Kakashi-sensei wouldn't want you doing this! He wouldn't want you destroying the town or hurting people! He'd want you to have fun! To smile a-and laugh and make jokes and excuses about why you're late." Naruto chuckled lightly, though tears slipped down his face. "What're you going to do i-if all his favorite bookstores are gone?"

" _ **You brat! Stop it!"**_ The beast growled, spinning around and reaching for Naruto.

Said kid shut his eyes, expecting pain, but after a moment, he opened his eyes again to find the claws of the beast mere inches away from his nose, being held back by a chin that had risen up from the floor.

"I-I suppose… I'd have to rebuild them. Exactly how they had been." A voice said, making Naruto turn to look behind him with a small smile.

"Heh, but then you'd have to fill it up with all those pervy books you guys read."

"Yeah well… They have a good plot." Shi quipped, though her eyes still looked sad.

" _ **You pest! You're never going to beat him without me!"**_

"No." Shi said, giving the beast a dull look. "I may not, but I don't technically have to fight him, to beat him. And even if I did…" She stepped forward and lazily lifted a hand, more chains rising up from off the ground and wrapping the beast up as it wailed. "…If I can't fight him with my own strength, then how will I ever be able to face Kakashi?"

" _ **Foolish woman!"**_ It shouted, pulling uselessly against the chains as they bound it to the ground. _**"I am a part of you! You**_ **are** _ **me! And I will make sure you experience all of your nightmares tenfold! You will go mad and beg for my power!"**_

"Sorry." Shi said, as her and Naruto turned to leave. "But even if I go mad, I will _never_ beg to you."

" _ **Grrrrraaaaaa!"**_


	14. Chapter 14

Rocks crumbled away from the Chibaku Tensei in the sky and Pein stared up in confusion until the dust cleared and two figures stood there, neither of which was a beast. Shi cracked her neck and sighed, glancing over at Naruto with slumped shoulders.

"You think you can handle him?"

He looked over at her, confused. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I just… There might still be other people in the village, some injured, some not and… if you can take him, then I'll go help… You know…"

He nodded. "Yeah. Sure. I can do that… Are you sure you're okay though?"

Shi looked over at him, eyes buried in sadness. "No. I'm not okay and I don't think I will ever be okay without him…" She turned away, changing into her usual beast form—the one she could control—and speaking over her shoulder. _**"…but I can keep going. I will protect the village and the people he gave his life for."**_

Naruto hesitated, but nodded and Shi took off just as the Chibaku Tensei began to crumble and Naruto turned to face Pein.

* * *

It was hard. Harder than everything I'd ever been put through. I needed to move on, to respect Kakashi's memory and try to start anew. But to let him go. To throw away that emotion that I forgot I had after so long, it was so difficult. But I had to try. I had already lost control by letting the beast go rampant and I knew that if Kakashi had seen that, that he would surely hate me for what I'd become, so I started shutting out emotions again. Locking them away in a tight box in the back of my mind. First went sorrow, then grief, then anger, then joy, happiness, excitement. All of it, I just locked up.

As I did this, I went around the village, sniffing out any trapped civilians or shinobi and using my large size to get them out from under the rubble. I then made a clone and sent them off to the medics. I did this for a while, before I found myself back in front of Kakashi. I stepped forward, slow and hesitant, pushing the rubble off him and nudging him with my large muzzle as a single tear slid down my face. _I'm sorry, Kakashi… I'm sorry I couldn't be here fast enough._ I heard a clatter and looked down to find, wrapped in Kakashi's fist, my marked kunai that I had given him. I felt my emotions trying to break through again. Rage at the Pein who killed him, deep sorrow for having lost him, and the heart wrenching love I felt for him, knowing that even in his death, he was thinking of me.

Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I transformed back into my human form and picked his body up onto my back. I hooked the kunai to a chain and draped it over my neck, before carrying Kakashi with my own power, to where I could smell Sakura and a few others. After a moment, I smelled a bit of Naruto's blood, but it wasn't enough to be too concerned about and I continued onwards. When I reached where Sakura was at, I was hesitant about walking up with Kakashi. What if she didn't know? What if she did? I shut myself off from these questions and headed forward, coming up behind her and the rest of the group, Hinata being the first to spot me.

"Shi…"

I glanced at her and turned away, setting Kakashi down and laying him out, ignoring the stares I was receiving from the others.

"I'm going to go back out and search for more survivors." I said, sounding defeated even to myself, before I looked over at Sakura. "I'm… sorry I couldn't save him."

She went to speak, when the large slug behind her spoke.

"Naruto defeated the 6th Pein."

Lee cheered happily and Sakura asked if he was injured, but I stayed silent through it all, giving Kakashi one last look before standing to leave. Guy's team was eager to set out after Naruto, who had gone to meet with the final Pein, but before they left, Guy placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. He didn't say anything, he knew I wouldn't want any comfort right now, and he left not long after. Everyone's stares were still on my back and it was getting harder and harder to ignore them, before I took off my marked kunai and placed it on Kakashi's chest, moving his hands to hold it. Without looking at anyone else, I stood from my kneeling position, transformed, and took off; not being able to handle any more worried looks.

* * *

A small crackling fire sat in the middle of a darkened campsite and two silver haired men sat around it, looking upset.

"I see. You've had your share of trouble too…"

"Yeah."

Kakashi sat with his father, looking upset.

"But… I never thought we'd both die so young…"

Kakashi stayed silent.

"Though, not as young as your mother…" He looked over at Kakashi. "You mentioned a woman? Shi, you said?"

Kakashi nodded. "She probably already knows what happened to me. She'll be devastated."

"Anyone would be."

Kakashi shook his head. "Pein will be lucky if she hasn't torn him apart. She…" He sighed. "She just started to open up… just started to feel again."

"Well, to fall for someone so emotionally stunted like you, she must be pretty good."

Kakashi went quiet, not taking offense to what his father said; he was only trying to ease the tense atmosphere. So, Kakashi switched topics.

"Regardless of what happened, you did the best you could."

His father seemed shocked.

"I understand now." Kakashi continued. "You broke the rules for all of our sakes. I'm proud of you now."

There was a short pause, before his father spoke. "Thank you…"

Just then, a light hit Kakashi in the back, lighting him up in a white glow. "What?"

"Looks like it's not your time yet. You still have things to do."

"Dad…"

His father gave him a small smile. "I'm glad I was able to speak with you. Thank you for forgiving me… Now I can move on. I can finally see your mother again."

Kakashi opened his eyes and found himself back in his body, alive. Sakura was there and he had obviously been moved, but before he could even think about it, there was a clatter and he looked down to see Shi's marked kunai lying on the ground next to him. He picked it up as Sakura stuttered out his name.

"K-Kakashi-sensei?"

He looked over at her, clutching Shi's kunai and gave her a small, closed-eye grin. "Nice to see you again, Sakura."

Her eyes widened as he stood. "A-Ah! Wait! You shouldn't be moving yet!"

He just looked down at the kunai in his hand and back up. "I can't stay here, Sakura. I need to find Naruto and… Shi."

"She… thinks you're dead." Sakura said, suddenly very worried. "She looked so… empty, Kakashi-sensei. I-I don't even know what's keeping her moving."

He placed the kunai around his neck with the chain still attached to it and took off, feeling worry and a knot of excitement welling up in his stomach. _I can see Shi again._ He hurried off and decided to find Naruto, because where he was, Shi usually followed. Finding Naruto wasn't too hard though and, with no Shi in sight, Kakashi took it upon himself to catch Naruto as he collapsed in exhaustion.

"Good job." Kakashi said, earning a smile from Naruto.

"Kakashi!"

"Just hang on."

He did, but Kakashi could feel him fidgeting and gave him a look.

"A-Ah, sorry. Have you, um… have you seen Shi yet?"

"Not yet, no."

Naruto went quiet, making Kakashi slightly worried.

"Naruto, what happened after Shi found out about me?"

Naruto tensed and Kakashi could swear he felt the boy shiver on his back.

"She, uh… She was pissed and…"

"Naruto." Kakashi scolded, but before Naruto could answer, they walked out of the forest to the cheering of a crowd of villagers. Kakashi decided he'd drop the subject of Shi for now. "They've all been waiting for your return."

Naruto got off of Kakashi and dealt with the crazed villagers and an angry Sakura as well, who—after thanking Naruto—turned to Kakashi in worry.

"You need to find Shi. I don't know where she's gone and… I'm worried that she'll… because she doesn't know you're alive yet, that she'll…"

Kakashi nodded, patting her head with a smile. "Ah, don't worry."

He turned to go, but Sakura shouted one last thing at him.

"S-She really loves you, you know!"

Kakashi let out a short chuckle, waving over his shoulder. "Yeah. I know."

* * *

I was exhausted. I had changed in and out of my form too many times and after all the energy I used when I lost control, I was lucky to even have been standing for this long. I could hear the villagers a ways off, cheering for Naruto and I silently felt glad that he was finally being recognized, but I wasn't able to feel glad for long. I collapsed up against a tree, breathing hard and finally starting to feel the pain from the rods Pein had stabbed me with and his kick. _My ribs are cracked and my abdomen is bruised badly. There's holes in each arm and leg that are still bleeding and…_ I cringed, looking over the damage. _I've been running on pure adrenaline. I shouldn't have been able to walk, let alone save all those people._

I let out a long sigh, wincing when my ribs ached in protest, but relaxing against the tree and enjoying the silent sounds of the animal life returning to the forest now that the fighting had finished. I felt a tugging at my chakra and silently wondered if some shinobi had come across one of my marked kunai and was messing with it. _I might as well flash them here. Save myself the trouble of collecting one of the kunai._ I focused a bit, feeling my body ache at the thought of using chakra, before the shinobi was standing before me, though my eyes closed before I could see anything more than a green flak jacket.

"That's my kunai." I muttered, holding a shaky hand out blindly. "I'd like to have it back."

"That's certainly not the welcome back I was expecting." A familiar voice said, causing me to snap my eyes open, seeing a grinning Kakashi standing there. "Hello, Shi."

 _Impossible… but he was…_ I immediately tackled him to the ground and held a kunai to his throat, my own throat tight with possible tears.

"Who are you? Why the hell are you doing this? Who put you up to it?"

"Shi, it's me." He said, looking slightly worried at his predicament. "I'm alive."

 _No. He can't be. I-I saw his corpse! He was—_ "Don't lie! Kakashi's dead! I saw him! I-I carried his corpse!"

His eyes softened and he lifted a hand to brush the tear that had broken through my walls. "Oh, Shi. I'm so sorry."

The hand holding my kunai shook and my snarl quivered, before I pulled my fist back and punched him in the face.

"You! Y-You jerk!" I cried, dropping my kunai as he tried to recover from my punch. "You're supposed to be dead!"

He brought a hand to his bruising cheek. "And here I thought you'd be glad I wasn't." He quipped, moving his jaw around to feel out the damage.

I punched him in the chest, weakly, dropping my head as I cried. "H-How could you? I could've saved you. W-Why didn't you… You _d-died_."

"But I'm alive, Shi." He sat up a bit, me still straddling his waist, and kissed me through his mask on the forehead. "See? I'm okay. Though, the two of us should probably stop by a medic station. Then, you can tell me what happened."

I tensed, suddenly feeling disgusted with myself as I remembered what I'd become, and I pushed myself off Kakashi, looking away and shaking my head.

"No."

"Shi. Please."

I shook my head again, pressing my palm to my eye as the beast within me threw flashes of what I'd become through my head.

"No. I-I was… It was…"

Kakashi took my hand away from my face, looking at me seriously. "Shi, I will never think any differently of you, no matter what you do, because I know you're a good person. I know you were heartbroken when I died and I know that it would've been very tough on you. So it's okay to tell me. Because I will still love you."

I was hesitant, not wanting to share what had happened, but I spotted a familiar shaggy-looking God standing behind Kakashi and nodding, and I knew that it would be okay. That Kakashi was telling the truth and wouldn't leave me even if I had become a monster. So, I nodded and began to tell him what happened as we helped each other back to the village to get healed.

* * *

Kakashi and I slept together that night, just enjoying the comfort of each other's arms at his house, since my apartment was destroyed in what happened. After a good rest though, we were up and getting ready to help with repairs to the village.

"Kakashi, have you seen my—" I was cut off as Kakashi poked his head around the corner of the kitchen, holding up my silver scarf that I took from him with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Of course. We better hurry though, I'm sure the village could use your…" He paused, thinking of the right word. "…strength in helping repair things."

"It's kind of… odd." I said, catching his attention. "A beast who destroys being used to help with things like rebuilding a village."

Kakashi headed over and lowered his mask, kissing me lightly. "Like I said, Shi, it's because of the kindness of the person controlling it. Not the beast itself."

I kissed him back in agreement, before pulling away and pulling up my scarf as he did the same with his mask.

"You want to take Shoji? I haven't put up any marked kunai at the construction site." I asked.

"Sure. Though I suppose you should probably use your other summons, that way they can be used to help move things once we get there."

I nodded, a small smirk forming on my face. "Ah, I know just the guys."

Once we were outside, I summoned two of my summons, Masashi and Renji. I raised a brow as Kakashi stared up at them both with a sweat drop.

"What?"

"I just forgot that you have larger summons for a moment there." He said, before gesturing to them both. "Which one is mine?"

"You'll get Renji." I said, the brown work horse heading over and nudging Kakashi with its muzzle. "He's very mellow and easy to handle, even if you don't know what you're doing." I smiled. "So just get on and he'll do all the work."

Kakashi nodded and did just that, whereas Masashi had to kneel down on his front legs to allow me to even reach his back. Once we were on, I led the way over to the construction site, ignoring the looks and pointing fingers we were getting. The shinobi though, were more than glad to see that I brought such large animals to help with moving the wood and rubble. Kakashi wasn't comfortable with my summons just yet, other than Shoji, and I did tease him a bit about how he walked after getting off Renji, who snorted in amusement as well. He then waved me off to go check up on Naruto and them while I got one of the shinobi comfortable with leading Renji around. He was just one of those horses that was very laid-back and didn't mind who handled him. Masashi was pickier though and I was forced to lead him around myself. I did happen upon Kakashi and the others though and they were with Tazuna and Inari, oddly enough.

"W-Whoa…" Tazuna muttered out, looking up at Masashi as he snorted and pawed at the ground, a full load of timber being pulled along behind him.

"Hello, Tazuna. Inari." I said, looking at them both as I pulled Masashi off to the side to unload.

"That's, uh, one hell of a beast you got there." Tazuna commented.

"Y-Yeah. It's _huge_." Inari followed after, both comments causing Masashi to stomp his hoof down harshly as I frowned at the two of them.

"Don't call him a beast. Or an 'it'." I scolded, patting Masashi's long face. "He'll trample you."

They both paled and nodded before saying goodbye to everyone and wandering off. Naruto though, was very excited about this new summon and was right over there next to me in awe.

"Neh, Shi! This one's the biggest yet! Neh, neh, just how big is he, huh?"

Masashi rounded on Naruto and went to slam a heavy hoof down on his foot, but Naruto was quick to dodge.

"Ah! Shi! Why'd he do that?!"

I lifted another beam over my shoulder and gave him a bored look. "Because you called him fat."

"Huh?! No I didn't!" He paused, thinking over what he'd said and realized where it could've sounded like that, before stomping his foot childishly. "Argh! I didn't even call him fat! It's not my fault he's gigantic!"

Masashi turned his head towards Naruto and snorted in his face, causing him to fall on his butt in surprise as Masashi tossed his head proudly. I sighed, finishing unloading the wood and patting the horse's neck.

"Now you see why I couldn't just hand him over to a shinobi like Renji." I grumbled, gesturing over at Renji behind me as he pulled wood with a pleasant expression. "Masashi's very prideful."

Said horse relished in that comment and I pulled him away to continue working before a ninja suddenly ran up to me, out of breath.

"S-Shi?"

I nodded, looking over his panicked appearance in slight concern. _This can't be good._

"Y-You're being summoned to the Hokage's tent. It's urgent!"

 _Hokage's tent? But she's in a coma…_ "Alright." I said, despite my previous thoughts. _Orders are orders, and if it's urgent I better go._

I hurried to the Hokage's tent behind him, giving Masashi to another ninja—telling him to behave and I'll give him sugar cubes after—but once we got there, he bowed outside and left me to enter on my own. Usually I would knock, but it's a tent and I was unsure what to do for a moment, before I settled for announcing myself as I peeked in the tent.

"The, uh, Hokage summoned me?"

Inside was the still comatose Tsunade and Shizune.

"Ah, Shi!" Shizune exclaimed, ushering me in and fidgeting with a scroll in her hands. "I actually summoned you here to give you this."

She handed me the scroll and I gave it a glance before opening it and reading it through in surprise. When I finished, I looked up at her in confusion.

"What is this?"

Shizune stiffened up, becoming suddenly professional. "It's a position that Tsunade wanted to present you specifically."

"The position…" I looked down at the paper, finding the title. "…of Negotiator between the five shinobi nations?"

I was a bit surprised as Shizune nodded.

"Yes. She was going to ask you to take the position before… all of this. The paperwork has already been filed and the Daimyos have accepted it, even the new Hokage cannot do anything to change it."

"Who _is_ the new Hokage?" I questioned, having known that they were going to replace Tsunade while she was in a coma, but not knowing who she'd be replaced with.

Shizune frowned. "Danzou. And he's already left for the Five Kage meeting, but I believe you should go too."

I raised a brow. "Is that wise? If he has gone with his bodyguards and I show up as another representative, the other Kage may feel threatened by the power Konoha has."

Shizune nodded. "That is true, however… there's a reason Tsunade picked you for this job. You are not from here, so technically, you have no loyalty to Konoha."

I frowned slightly. "While that is true, I do have a connection to the people here."

"But also the people of Sunagakure and a number of other smaller nations. Tsunade picked you, because you can help bring people together and are calm and patient enough to not get riled up should people begin arguing." Shizune started to look a little desperate now, something that I wasn't really comfortable dealing with. "You are the only one who could take this position, and right now, you are probably the only one who can stop an all-out war."

"Because of Danzou." I muttered and she nodded.

"He is… a part of the darker side of Konoha. He will stop at nothing to save the village, even if it means sacrificing everything it's made up of. Tsunade believed him to be suspicious, as you already know. With him in power now though, who knows what could happen. Tsunade probably knew something like this was going to happen, so… I believe she put it in the job description."

I raised a brow, but skimmed through the paper I had and spotted where it said that the Negotiator would travel to a Five Kage Summit, should there be one. _She really did cover everything… there's just one thing I don't know yet._

I looked at Shizune and sweat dropped. "She made this position up, didn't she?"

Shizune flushed a little and turned away, scratching her cheek. "S-She did, but the Daimyos gave it permission, as did the other Kage, apparently. They believed it a good idea but, according to Tsunade, they doubted that anyone would be capable enough to fill the position. She… called them idiots for underestimating you, actually."

I smiled slightly at that and bowed. "I will accept the position and carry it out to the best of my abilities." I straightened and rubbed the back of my neck with a sigh. "Though I doubt Kakashi will be pleased."

Shizune chuckled a little and bowed back. "Thank you, Shi. If all goes well, I will inform Tsunade when she awakens and we will formally instate you." She stood up then, eyes serious. "But you should hurry. The meeting is to start as soon as all the Kage have gathered in the Land of Iron. The most it should take them is two days and be sure to take that scroll with you. It has the seals on it for all the required signatures that were needed to put you into this position, should anyone try to stop you once you're there."

I nodded, pocketing the scroll and bowing slightly as I walked out of the tent with another long sigh. _Looks like I'll be heading out again. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong. I'd rather not be responsible for another war._

* * *

After I gathered any equipment I think I needed and I grabbed as much info about the Kage as I could, I went out to find Kakashi to let him know I was leaving. I checked the construction area, but no one had seen him, and when I checked his place, I frowned at the note left on the door.

 _Gone out to keep Naruto out of trouble._

 _Will be back in few days or a week._

 _Trying to convince Raikage to not kill Sasuke._

 _Wish me luck._

 _-Kakashi_

I crumpled the note and groaned, shaking my head with a hand on my face.

"They're not even here and they're already making my new job worse." I groaned, before focusing my chakra and flashing to where Masashi was, scaring the crap out of the shinobi leading him.

"A-Ah! S-Shi… I assume you want your summon back?"

I nodded, taking the reins from Masashi and sighing a little. "Yeah, sorry. I have a mission."

"Oh. Well, don't worry about us." He smiled. "It was nice having them to help, but if you have a mission right _now_ , then it must be important. So, um, good luck!"

I bowed my head, unhooking Masashi from the wood he was carrying and bringing him over to where Renji was resting. I pet Renji's forehead and gave him an apple from my bag, before sending him back and turning to Masashi.

"How are you with snow?"

He scoffed, shaking his head proudly. "I am the best for traveling in snow."

"That's good. We need to get to the Land of Iron and to the Five Kage Summit before they start a war." I sweat dropped. "You alright if we leave now?"

He tossed his large head into my shoulder playfully. "I was ready to leave ages ago. Put on my gear, and let's go."

I rolled my eyes at his over eagerness and summoned a thick blanket, a saddle, bit and reins, and warm padding to put on him and got to work. Once he was ready, I wasted no time getting us out and into the forest, hurrying in the direction of the Land of Iron.

"Masashi, it'll take us about a day and a half to get there, so we'll stop by a village to rest for the night and head out again in the morning. Sound good?"

"That's fine."

I nodded and laid low on his back as we got to a more open area and we hurriedly rode. We rode most of the day without running into anything of concern and as dusk settled and the snow started falling, we came upon a village to rest at. The villagers openly stared at my horse as I rode him over to an inn and moved him to the back of the building, leaving him with some apples from my pack and a large blanket to cover him, before booking a room and going up there to study up on the Kage. I removed my cloak and hung it up on the back of a chair before sitting on the ground beside the bed and pulling out the scrolls I had on the Kage.

I already knew Gaara and Danzou pretty well, so I moved on to the other three. _Okay, let's see. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. Also known as Onoki of Both Scales. He was the Tsuchikage during the Third Great Shinobi War, so most likely very old-fashioned in his thinking and I wouldn't be surprised if he was stubborn as well, but with age comes experience and wisdom, so his advice could be useful._ I put the scroll away after checking up on what jutsu he was known for, and then moved onto the next one.

 _Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage as Shizune mentioned could happen since the Fourth was already very old. There won't be much on her, but I grabbed what I could find._ I skimmed through the smaller scroll and wasn't too displeased with what I found. _Known for her Lava jutsus, that's good to know. A younger woman and seems relatively cheerful. She should be one of the easiest to deal with, though I don't doubt that she is probably good with politics, which is probably what got her to this position._ I felt a bit better after that and moved on to the final scroll, but immediately felt discouraged at the size of it.

 _The Fourth Raikage, A. Younger brother is a jinchuriki, huh, so probably very protective over him or very hateful of him. Known for his massive physical power, speed, and lightning armor? Alright. Fought in the Third Shinobi War against us and… faced the Fourth Hokage? That's… not good._ I sweat dropped with a sigh, pulling a hand through my hair. _He'll be very thick skulled then._ As I read further, I only grew more and more displeased and eventually tossed the scroll back in my pouch with a long sigh.

"This is _not_ going to be easy." I grumbled to myself, before sealing my things up and climbing into bed and hoping to get at least some sleep before the dawn arose in a few hours.

* * *

Dawn approached and I groaned, rolling over and sitting up with a yawn, stretching my arms up above my head before getting out of bed and grabbing my things. I took a quick shower and ate some breakfast, then grabbed my scarf and wrapped it around the lower half of my face, inhaling Kakashi's scent that seemed to always linger on it, before heading downstairs. I bought some sugar cubes and carrots for Masashi and checked out of the inn. When I walked outside to get Masashi though, I was pleasantly surprised of the number of children gathered around him. They all spotted me and I took a hesitant step back as they all converged on where I was and surrounded me, asking me questions.

"Neh, is this your animal, mister?!"

"Does it have a name?!"

"It's really tall!"

"What does it eat?!"

"Does it fight?!"

"What do you do with it?!"

I fidgeted, not really sure what to do, other than answer their questions. _Maybe then, they'll go away. I-I'm not really comfortable with this._

"He's mine. He's Masashi. He eats apples, carrots, sugar cubes, and grass. He doesn't fight really. I ride him."

They grew more excited and I looked over at Masashi in worry, but he just chuckled and I hesitantly picked my way out of the group of kids towards him with the bag of food, silently questioning how I was going to put all his gear back on with all these kids. That's when I came up with an idea.

"Do you… want to feed him?"

A majority of the kids took one look at him and shook their heads 'no', but there were a few who appeared brave enough to do so. I handed them a few pieces of carrots and showed them how to hold their hands out so they wouldn't lose a finger and, as they giggled and fed him carrots happily, I removed and put away the large blanket I had covered him with and began putting back on all the gear I took off. Once I finished, I climbed up onto his back and the children backed off with wide eyes, curious as I started to ride him out into the street where there was more room. For the most part, they kept their distance, knowing that getting too close would be dangerous, but there was one little girl who wandered up closer than the others and she spoke to me.

"A-Are you leaving now?"

I blinked, but nodded, tugging my cloak closer to me to drive off some of the cold. She looked upset about that though, and I felt a weight settle in my stomach. _Guilt,_ I reminded myself. Looking down at her as she bowed her head sadly, I leaned down and held out a hand.

"Would you… like a small ride?"

She quickly looked up, eyes wide with a big grin on her face that reminded me a lot of Naruto's, before she took my hand and nodded.

"Un!"

I lifted her up and placed her in front of me, letting her hold the reins behind my hands, and we rode towards the gate in a light trot. The other kids laughed and played to the side of us, excitedly, and once we reached the gates, I helped the girl down. Masashi gave her his own goodbye, nudging her lightly with his muzzle, and with a small wave, we hurried off into the snow.

Masashi laughed at me for a good while though, making fun of my expression once we left and how amusing it was to see me get flustered over some 'foals', as he called them. I quickly told him to shut up, explaining how I wasn't used to dealing with kids very much, but he just laughed and said I'd get used to it if Kakashi and I ever mated, which put a bright red flush on my cheeks; and it wasn't from the cold.

"S-Says you! I don't exactly know about any little furry hooved foals running around you!"

He chuckled. "I have two, both boys."

That shut me up pretty fast and our conversation died out as we grew closer to the summit. Once there, I jumped off Masashi, smelling a familiar person that I _knew_ was going to make my job even harder than it already was, and I groaned; thanking Masashi for his help and telling him to wait for me just inside the forest nearby should I need him. I then felt a deep rumble and, in a split second decision, I transformed into my beast form and hurried towards the building as it began to fall apart.

Doing my best to grab some samurai as I ran towards Gaara's scent, I dove under the large pieces of the building as it tumbled down. I even managed to grab two others, whose scents I didn't recognize and toss them under me just as I stopped and caught a rather large pile of rubble on my back over Gaara and his group. Once the building had stopped collapsing, I shrugged off the rubble and gave Gaara and the other's a small grin, canines peeking out.

" _ **Looks like I'm a bit late, sorry."**_

They all stared at me in shock, until Gaara spoke.

"…Shi?"

I blinked, before I realized why they were all looking at me. _**"Oh, right."**_ I transformed back and waved with a dull expression. "Yo."

Kankuro pointed at me with his mouth gapping open. "Y-You!"

"Me." I stated back, before looking over at the samurai I picked up and the other two, finally recognizing one of them. "Ah, I picked up the Raikage…"

He didn't look too pleased and he stood up with an angry look on his face. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Shi."

He grew even redder in the face. "I _know_ that! What are you doing here?!"

"Ah, perhaps we should go find the other Kage before I explain that?" I said, pointing towards where I could smell the other scents.

"We have to find that Uchiha first!"

I took a deep sniff, closing my eyes, before looking at him. "It's too late. He's already run off. Though…" I sniffed again. "Looks like he's heading up to the other Kage anyway. Shall we?"

He got up and grabbed me by the front of my cloak, furious. "We don't even know who you are! You could be one of them!"

Gaara stepped up then. "No. I know her. She's a messenger of Konoha."

"Ah…" I raised a finger towards the ceiling. "Negotiator, actually. New position."

"What?!" The Raikage shouted, before I gave him a bland look, already tired of this position despite having just started.

"Could we possibly argue about this later? I smell molten rock." I said, hoping to convince the Raikage to let me go, as I wrinkled my nose at the smell.

He frowned, but dropped me. "C, watch him." He ordered, before we all hurried up towards the stairs to reach the other Kage.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro all ran up beside me and Gaara questioned me curiously.

"Why _are_ you here, Shi? Danzou already has the required two bodyguards. If you are here with him, then this could cause complications."

"I am aware." I muttered, glancing at him. "As I said, I am now in the… unique position of Negotiator. The last order Tsunade gave out, it seems. I will never work under Danzou."

"But isn't he the new Hokage? What about orders?" Gaara asked, making my lip twitch up in a smile, though he couldn't see it.

"I'm not originally _from_ Konoha." I told him. "My loyalty lies only with myself, though… I protect those I care about as well, majority of which are in Konoha. But technically, I am a neutral party."

"Che." We turned to the front, where the Raikage clicked his tongue. "Neutral party, sounds to me like you're a pest that Konoha uses to its advantage."

I shrugged, not taking offense really. "Think what you wish, though I don't doubt you would do the same in their position."

We then came upon a rather large hole in the wall and headed in, seeing one young man on the ground in something white and rubble in the center of the room, along with a cube in the wall and a smashed desk.

"Guess I was _really_ late." I muttered, glancing over the damage as Gaara ordered Kankuro to free the young man and some samurai in the white goop.

"Where's Sasuke?!" The Raikage ordered, glancing over at an older man, who I recognized as the Tsuchikage _._

"I smashed him to bits." He grinned, upsetting the Raikage.

"What?! That was my job! How dare you!"

I picked up a new scent then and reached for a kunai should it be another enemy, though I wasn't too sure what to make of the man who just appeared in the room with an unconscious Sasuke over his shoulder.

"You still have a chance. So quit your whining, Raikage."

"Sasuke!" I heard a girl not far from me call out, the look she had reminding me a lot of Sakura's.

"My name is Madara Uchiha." The orange masked man said, though I raised a brow in question.

 _Really? He's supposed to be dead and with a mask on, there's no way of confirming that. A name can hold a lot of power. Who's to say he's not just using it to prove a point?_

"I'm here to explain something to you. I just want to make that clear." He said, but I still didn't remove my hand from my kunai.

"What?!" The Raikage shouted, no doubt upset with the amount of people showing up out of the blue.

"I want to tell you about my goal. The Moon's Eye Plan."

The Raikage seemed to ignore the man for a moment. "Looks like C was right and the Hokage got away!"

"Yes." The Tsuchikage said, catching on. "Thanks to Sasuke."

Just then, the Raikage moved, a lightning laced punch already directly in front of the enemy's face, but the Raikage just slipped right through him, just as Sasuke disappeared into, what appeared to be, the man's only visible eye. _How… Where does Sasuke go? And to be able to just phase out like that…_ A million questioned ran rampant through my mind, but I shoved them away for later. I needed to focus for right now. This was an Akatsuki member I didn't know about from Jiraiya. So information gathering was important, not to mention the protecting of the Kage; though I was sure they could generally protect themselves.

"No plan of the Akatsuki can be anything good! Don't bother explaining!" The Raikage growled. "Bring Sasuke back!"

"Then listen to me." The man said, my mind still not wanting to call him Madara until I could confirm it. "And depending on your answer, I might."

I stepped forward then, making the Raikage turn to me in frustration as I spoke. "We should listen. He might be able to give us something useful, Raikage."

"Why you—"

The Tsuchikage joined me on that, hovering in the air with his hands behind his back. "Calm down, Raikage. She is right. It won't hurt to listen to him."

He clicked his tongue and we watched as this 'Madara' person took in the woman who had been on the floor as well, but I my ears picked up on Kankuro and Temari's conversation.

"So that's Madara's power…"

"He can manipulate the time-space continuum."

 _Time-space continuum? So, he sent Sasuke and that girl into another space where time is… altered somehow? And he appeared in a similar manner, so could he just be pulling himself in and out of this space quickly enough for people to phase through him?_ I shook my head of my thoughts again and tried to focus as this 'Madara' person jumped up on a raised portion of the wall.

"Now, are you willing to listen to me, ladies and gentlemen?"

"Ladies and gentlemen?" Gaara questioned, as did I.

 _Respect? Hm, odd fellow._

"It's rare for anyone to awaken Susanoo. I like to stockpile good eyes. I wanted him to improve his skills in a battle with the five Kage. That's why I sent him here."

 _So he's the leader of the Akatsuki. No wonder Jiraiya didn't have anything on him. He never revealed himself. Just stayed behind the scenes. Though I think Jiraiya mentioned an Akatsuki with an orange mask before. Something about him being an idiot, but I can't remember what his name was…_

"I also thought to weaken the Kage and take them hostage, but it looks like that's still out of reach."

 _At least I know for sure now that he's an enemy._ I mentally sighed.

"Hostage? What for?!" Shouted the Mizukage.

"To make my Moon's Eye Plan go more smoothly."

"I can't believe Madara Uchiha is really still alive." The Tsuchikage grumbled. "Why is someone of your caliber going about this in such a roundabout manner? As powerful as you are, you should be able to execute any plan without a hitch."

 _Only further proving my theory that he's not Madara. What was that orange-masked guys' name?! I remember seeing it in a file somewhere, but passed it by because all Jiraiya wrote was that he was an idiot._

"The wound inflicted by the First Hokage Hashirama was too great. I am now a mere shell of my former self."

 _So, he either knows the stories of Madara and guessed, or Madara_ is _alive and he's just using this information as his own, or he actually_ is _Madara. I need more information._

"So this… is a plan to return you to your former strength?" C asked.

"Hm, you could say that, but that's not all."

"What are you plotting?!" A man I recognized as the head of the samurai questioned. "Just what is this Moon's Eye Plan?!"

"I want to take my time explaining, have a seat." 'Madara' said, sitting down himself.

"He asked what the plan was!" Kankuro shouted in anger, but the man just wagged a finger.

 _Gosh, his name! T something. Taki, Toshi, Toru…_

"Everything will become one with me! It will be perfect union. I will be complete."

"What do you mean?" I asked, making him turn to me, along with the others, myself already seated on top of a desk with my head resting on my palm, elbow on my knee as I sat cross-legged.

"…You are not a Kage, nor a bodyguard."

I shook my head. "No, but I _am_ curious."

He was silent for a moment, before explaining. "An ancient stone tablet had been passed down through the Uchiha clan for generations. Even now it lies beneath Konoha. Carved upon it are the secrets of the Sage of Six-Paths. Only those with eye powers can read them. More can be decoded if read in order with the sharingan, mangekyo sharingan, and Rinnegan."

"The Sage of Six-Paths is nothing but a fairytale." The Tsuchikage said, but I decided to contradict him a bit.

"But all fairytales are based on something real." I said, making him eye me suspiciously.

"As she said. However, he really _did_ exist. And he left behind this tablet."

"You changed the subject!" The Raikage shouted, getting angry and jumping down from his place in the wall. "What does the Sage of Six-Paths have to do with your plan?!"

'Madara' remained calm. "Do you know why he became a legend and came to be worshipped as a God by the ninjas? That is the connection between this man and my plan."

"Madara Uchiha, you have the mangekyo sharingan and there was someone in the Akatsuki with the Rinnegan. You know everything, don't you?" The Mizukage asked as the Tsuchikage came down and landed on the floor as well.

"Tell us."

"He once saved the world from a monster."

"Gaara, a part of that monster was sealed within you. It is a fusion of all the tailed-beasts… and possesses the strongest chakras ever. The ten-tailed beast, the Jubi."

I tensed, thinking of my own beast inside me. _Am I also a part of this Jubi somehow? But I was created by… Orochimaru. So… I'm not?_

"There's a beast with more tails than the Kyuubi?!"

"I just told you, it is a fusion of all nine beasts. The nine tailed-beasts are nothing more than a division of the Jubi's chakras, and the Sage of Six-Paths is the one who did it."

"I don't like where this is headed." Kankuro muttered. "So is that why Akatsuki has been gathering the tailed-beasts?"

"In order to protect the world from the Jubi, the Sage of Six-Paths developed a new jutsu. The jutsu is still in use today as the Host Seal system. Yes, the Sage of Six-Paths was the Jubi's host. He sealed the Jubi within his own body in order to control it."

 _So… what was that stupid Akatsuki's name?…Gosh, why does my mind pick now to decide not to work?_

"The scale is too huge, could any one man really do all that?" One of the Raikage's bodyguards questioned.

"Having become the Jubi's host, the Sage of Six-Paths was already more than human."

"I understand that you want to gather the beasts in order to gain their inhuman power." Said the leader of the samurai. "But what will you do with that power?"

"I will revive the Jubi and then I will become its host." 'Madara' explained. "With its power, I will be able to strengthen my eyes. And then I will be able to use a certain jutsu."

"Certain jutsu?" I questioned. "You said strengthen your eye powers, so what? A Genjutsu of some kind?"

'Madara' turned to me in what I could only assume was curiosity. "You are… correct in a way. It is the most powerful illusion ever, the ability to project my eyes onto the moon. Mugen Tsukiyomi. Then I will be able to cast an illusion over everyone on Earth! I will control everyone with my illusion and the world will become one!"

I raised a brow. "Becoming a God? Sounds stressful."

He chuckled lightly. "A world without ill will or strife. Everything will be one in me. Everything will be united. Stress will be nonexistent! That is my Moon's Eye Plan."

"You must be kidding!" The Raikage shouted. "I won't just hand over the world to you!"

Gaara spoke next, a lot calmer than him, but not looking any less angry.

"Peace under an illusion is not true peace. It's only meaningful if the real world manages to accomplish it."

"What does that hold for us?!" The Mizukage yelled. "There's no hope or dreams! It's just an escape!"

"Make the world one? Danzou said something similar, but…in your case, it sounds more like you just want to make the world yours." The Tsuchikage said.

'Madara' laughed. "Hahaha, and what have you Five Kage been able to accomplish? You must understand, that there is no hope! Hope is nothing more than resignation… that is what is not real. Give me the Hachibi and the Kyuubi and cooperate with my plan. If not, it will be war."

"War?"

"The Hachibi? What do you mean?! You already took Bee!" The Raikage shouted, talking about his brother, was my guess. _Likes him then, that's good._

"We failed to capture the Hachibi. He is the perfect host. I'd expect nothing less of your brother."

The Raikage's bodyguards sighed and mentioned how they had a feeling, but the Raikage himself didn't look too pleased.

"That fool! He used this as an excuse to leave the village and gallivant about! I won't let him get away with this!"

"Ah, Tobi." I said, drawing everyone's attention once more, though they were all confused except this 'Madara'. "You're Tobi, right?"

He stared at me for a while before speaking. "I was once called Tobi while in the Akatsuki, but I am Madara Uchiha."

"Hm." I hummed, still not thoroughly convinced. "Alright, but I'm calling you Tobi."

The staring contest continued for a moment longer—myself not looking directly at his eye for obvious reasons—before Gaara spoke up, catching Tobi's attention once more.

"I won't let you take Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Me, either!" The Mizukage said, followed by the Tsuchikage.

"What about you, Raikage?"

"You won't have my brother!"

I sighed, but nodded. "Naruto is my friend, so I can't let you take him."

"I may not have any power myself, but I have the power of the beasts I've gathered. You don't stand a chance." Tobi said, though no one in the room seemed discouraged.

"We won't give up hope." Gaara replied.

"Alright. Consider this a declaration of war. The Fourth Ninja War begins now."  
"The Fourth Great Shinobi War?"

"Are you serious?!"

I raised a brow. "I doubt he'd just be joking."

He nodded. "Yes. I am not joking. Next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield." He then turned to me. "Perhaps I will see you again…"

He seemed to be waiting for something, and I nodded.

"Shi." I said.

"Shi…" He muttered, before he sucked himself into his own time-space void and disappeared.

"Dear me, what now?" The Tsuchikage muttered after a moment's pause.

"We must form a shinobi alliance." Gaara replied. "There is no other way to oppose the power of seven bijuu."

The Raikage stayed oddly silent and the Mizukage pointed it out.

"I recall you were against the idea, Raikage?"

"It seems no harm has come to my brother, but I refuse to allow the Akatsuki to have their way with us any longer! We form a shinobi alliance and settle this as quickly as possible!"

 _Sounds good to me._ I mentally thought, yawning silently from my place on the desk as the Tsuchikage spoke up.

"What of Konoha? The Hokage has fled the scene."

I waved my hand. "Oh, leave that to me."

The Tsuchikage raised a brow, everyone turning back to me and seeming to just then remember I was there.

"And who might you be?"

"That's right!" The Raikage shouted angrily. "Explain now!"

I held my hands up in a shrug. "I already told you, Raikage, I'm a Negotiator."

He glared at me. "I don't care what you call yourself! The Kazekage said you were from Konoha! The dark rumors surrounding Danzou are too great! It's obvious he was trying to break the rules of the summit by bringing a third bodyguard!"

"Actually, I'm not with Danzou. I am also _not_ a Konoha representative, as I told you in the hall." I said, pulling out the scroll and tossing it to him. "Perhaps this will clear things up."  
He frowned and opened it, scanning the contents with wide eyes, before turning to me angrily.

"This is an outrage!"

I stayed blank faced as he passed the scroll over and headed towards me, grabbing me by my shirt once more.

"You cannot be a Negotiator, because you are obviously allied with Konoha!"

The Tsuchikage nodded, passing the scroll over as well. "That seems to be the case, though I am confused as to why the Fifth Hokage would have placed you in such a position while knowing this."

I peeked around the Raikage holding up a hand dully. "Ah, that's actually because I'm not from Konoha. As I told the Raikage and Gaar—The Kazekage—I actually came into Konoha years ago with no previous memory of where I came from before that. The only reason I stayed there was to get some ninja training and even then, my allegiance lies only with myself and those I wish to protect. Tsunade—the Fifth Hokage—knows this and thus placed me in this position."

The Mizukage nodded, looking only slightly bothered as she handed the scroll over to Gaara. "We _did_ all agree for the position to be made. Our seals are on the scroll as are the Daimyos. Though I would have never expected someone to actually be qualified for the position."

The Tsuchikage bowed his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I agree. Raikage, release her. The position is legitimate."

The man grumbled but let me go and I rolled my neck.

"Thank you. Now, you mentioned what to do now that Danzou fled?" I questioned. "If you want, I could pass along the information to someone to bring back to the village. I have no doubt that his position will be revoked once the village hears about this."

Gaara nodded. "I will come along with you. Who did you plan on telling?"

"Kakashi." I said. "Kakashi Hatake."

"The son of the White Fang?" The Tsuchikage questioned and the Raikage seemed to consider this for a moment before agreeing.

"Very well. He seems more trustworthy than Danzou, at least. And with _you_ there, Kazekage, there is someone to keep an eye on this… _Negotiator._ "

I mentally rolled my eyes at his stubbornness and lightly shrugged as his bodyguard, C, spoke up.

"Raikage-sama, we must make arrangements right away to track down Killer Bee! If the Akatsuki's targets are the Hachibi and the Kyuubi, then they must still be pursuing Killer Bee with all their might!"

"Quite!" The Raikage agreed. "C, select a search party at once and contact the village so that they can begin the search!"

"Yes, sir!"

"We should let Team Samui know about this right away too." His other body guard said. "Omoi and Karui were seriously down about all this."

"In order to put a stop to Madara's Moon Eye Plan, we must on no account permit him to obtain the Hachibi or the Kyuubi." The Mizukage said. "As such, it seems more president for our shinobi alliance to locate the Hachibi and the Kyuubi before he can do so, and hide them away from him."

I worried about whether I should tell them about my own beast and if so, when. _I mean, I was made as some sort of weapon too, from what I know. And the beast_ did _mention that I was made to_ kill _the jinchuriki. So I must be more powerful than any of them. But… does that make me a jinchuriki too? And, while I can control the one form, I can't control the other one. I can try, but even I know that it'll be tough and if the Akatsuki find out about me, then training will be a bit tough._ I frowned slightly under my scarf and got the gist of what the Kage were talking about as far as whether or not to use the jinchuriki in the war. _That goes for me as well… But something tells me that Naruto won't just sit back and watch. And from what they're saying, neither will Killer Bee._ They already agreed on finding them and protecting them, so I didn't really have a say as the Raikage began splitting everyone up.

"I will share our information on Killer Bee with the Rock, Mist, Sand, and Leaf villages. I suggest that search teams be organized and mobilized immediately! Once the Hachibi is found, I suggest that you send that information to me. I am probably the only person to whom my brother will actually listen! And Kazekage, I trust you will handle the task of passing all this on to Kakashi along with… Shi."

"Yes."

"Sure thing." I said.

"I met with Kakashi Hatake and the Kyuubi jinchuriki on the way to the summit. They may still be somewhere in the Iron Country. We should begin our search for them from there." The Raikage said, and I waved again.

"Actually, I'm a tracker, so I can find them right away. It won't be a problem, but…" I decided that it would be now or never to tell them. "There is something I should probably share with you, since we're discussing the jinchuriki."

They all raised a brow, but Gaara and the Raikage seemed to understand and they both frowned.

"While I am not one, I do have something extremely powerful sealed within me. Something that I can control to an extent."

"Something?" The Mizukage questioned, and I nodded, hopping off of the desk and taking a few steps back before transforming into my beast form.

" _ **This is the only form I can completely control."**_ I told them, taking in their shocked faces as I transformed back. "There is one other that I know of and it is powerful enough to potentially… take down a jinchuriki."

"What?!"

I gazed sternly at the Raikage, causing him to startle in surprise. "If you would let me explain, it would be appreciated."

He stayed quiet and I let out a deep breath before going into more detail.

"I was an experiment of Orochimaru's for two years before I managed to find a way to Konoha. I do not know what his purpose was, other than to use me as a tool to take over the villages and attack the jinchuriki. The beast within me has mentioned that I was made to kill them, but I have enough control over him that he will not become a problem unless someone very dear to me is killed, something which happened not long ago when Pain attacked Konoha. I was able to restrain it again however, and it has the potential to be controllable."

"And the Akatsuki, do they know about this?"

I shook my head. "The Third and Fifth Hokage have been very adamant about information regarding it not reaching anywhere outside the village. I myself did not know about it until a year after arriving in Konoha. And have since trained diligently to make sure it remains under my control in its first form. And while I understand your concern for the jinchuriki staying out of the war and how it will also probably apply to me as well, I wish for you to understand that I will not be able to just sit back and watch my friends be killed while I am protected. I am sure the same applies to Naruto and… Killer Bee as well."

"Che, it's a shame it's not up to you then, huh?" The Raikage scoffed. "You will also remain under protection once the war has started."

I stayed silent, glaring at him half-heartedly, knowing that there was no way that was going to happen with me, Naruto, _or_ his brother, but knowing better than to voice it out loud and start an argument.

"E-Erm, could I ask something?" The shy looking bodyguard of the Mizukage questioned the Raikage.

"What is it?"

"Well, ah… You see… erm…"

"Spit it out!"

"A-Amongst the Akatsuki's remaining members, is Kisame Hoshigaki, a member of the Seven Swordsmen like myself. That man possess chakra on the level of a jinchuriki and Samehada, the most terrible of all the Seven Swordsmen's blades. Put him and that blade together, and you have a human who is able to wield every bit as much power as a jinchuriki. Effectively a bijuu without a tail. That is what my senpai have told me. He is a special case. You must be sure not to underestimate him."

"We are quite aware of that!" The Tsuchikage grumbled. "At any rate, is this all really acceptable? The power of the seven bijuu that Madara will be sending against us is a huge unknown quantity. Even if we do secure the Hachibi and the Kyuubi and protect them with the force of our alliance, if that alliance is annihilated, it will all have been meaningless. That's why I say, it would be more advantageous to us if we were to send the two of them and Shi into battle from the start, working alongside the alliance's forces."

"Are you sure about that?" The samurai leader asked. "We see here before us the formation of the first ever true shinobi alliance. Its power too, is a huge unknown quantity. Madara himself is taking a great risk using the power of the seven bijuu in this way. If it were no risk, then he would not have gone to the trouble of coming here and attempting to negotiate. It would seem that the situation is not entirely in his favor. Furthermore, they have no knowledge of Shi's ability should we attempt to use her and we samurai too, will take part in this battle! Tsuchikage-dono, are you still worried despite all of this?"

I spoke up once more. "Perhaps then, we should use them when we need it most. Not necessarily at the beginning. It would be like a normal battle. Saving your trump card for a moment when the enemy is weakest or unexpecting."

He glanced at me cautiously. "Perhaps, but now is not the time to think up battle strategies when the war hasn't even begun."

I nodded, bowing my head and returning to silence. He was right, after all. I was getting a bit ahead of myself.

"Now that Danzou's gone, who will lead the alliance?!" Raikage suddenly demanded.

"Are any of us Kage suitable? You're the one who dismissed us all before, Mifune."

I raised a hand. "May I make a suggestion?"

All eyes went to me, giving me a chance due to my new position, I suppose.

"I believe the Raikage would be suitable."

"I agree." Mifune said.

"I thought you said the Raikage was too emotional?" The Tsuchikage questioned to something that probably happened before I got here.

"Now that we know the Hachibi is alive, I think the Raikage will be able to keep himself under control. I take back my hasty judgments. Please forgive me."

"And you, Shi?"

I glanced over at the Raikage and back at the Tsuchikage. "Well, while he does have a temper, it's like Mifune said. He's calmed down significantly now that he knows about his brother. That, and he was the first to come up with a plan and has already taken the lead. Probably helps that he can control his brother."

"Mizukage, Kazekage, what do you think?"

"This isn't time for in-fighting. I trust the Raikage."

"As do I."

Eyes went back to the Tsuchikage as the Raikage spoke.

"It's up to you. You're the only one who's fought Madara Uchiha. I need your intel. Join me!"

"You always think you can just order us around." The Tsuchikage grumbled.

"I don't care if you trust me or not, but at this rate, the entire ninja world will be destroyed. Now is the time to set personal grudges aside and join forces!"

"I guess it's better than losing the war. If the ninja world is destroyed, my opinions of you won't matter. I'll join you."

Everyone was smiling at that, but I wasn't. I was too busy rolling my eyes with a sigh, thinking that everyone here were acting like children with their little grudges and complaints. _Like a kid who's had his favorite toy broke and still complains about it years later._

"The ninja alliance is formed! First we must talk with the Daimyos."

They went to do that, leaving me with the bodyguards outside and I whistled, calling Masashi out of the woods and startling the guys around me, including Temari and Kankuro; the two of them having seen Shoji, but not Masashi.

"Holy crap! What _is_ that thing?!" Kankuro shouted loudly as Masashi pawed a hoof in the snow.

I gave him a glance, passing a hand over Masashi's forehead. "His name is Masashi. He's a horse. Like Shoji."

Temari stared at Masashi with a sweat drop. "Even your other horse didn't look like that…"

"I-It's not dangerous, is it?" Chojuro questioned hesitantly as Darui muttered quietly to himself.

"It could crush my face in…"

I shrugged, before Masashi knelt down and I hopped on his back. "Only if you're under his feet. He's more for fast travel, work, and height advantage. Not fighting."

The Kage came out then and stared rather blatantly at Masashi, who eyed the Raikage like a threat. I could practically hear Masashi sizing him up in his thoughts before I turned him around and nodded my head outwards.

"Shall we go?"

Gaara nodded, not appearing the least bit surprised by Masashi and the other Kage shook it off before we all went our separate ways.

* * *

"Shi."

I glanced to my left where Gaara jumped from branch to branch. "Hm?"

"If necessary, I will have to kill Sasuke."

I nodded, slowly. "I know."

"Do you… care?" He asked and I let out a long breath.

"It's not that I don't care. I… Didn't know him well. We were more acquaintances than friends, but we were teammates. I don't want him to die if it can be avoided, but I understand why it may need to happen."

"You are very… wise, Shi." Gaara said, making me let out a short laugh.

"No. I've never been wise or smart. I just…" I frowned slightly, holding Masashi's reins a little tighter. "I know a little of what he's going through. Sasuke and I are similar."

"I see."

"If I could…" I went on, glancing over at Gaara, pulling down my scarf with a small, sad smile. "I hope I will be the one to kill him. Because… Kakashi and Naruto and Sakura… they're all suffering and I don't want that to be their burden anymore."

We drifted into silence and I picked up Naruto's scent nearby, letting the trio behind me know before they landed in front of Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato; myself pulling Masashi to a halt behind them. They were a little surprised to see us, but they only grew more surprised when Temari and Gaara explained what happened at the Five Kage Summit.

"I see… I had no idea the summit had turned into such a battleground… but Danzou…"

"I wasn't really into the whole Hokage thing, but even if I have no choice now…" Kakashi said, looking a bit upset. "I still have to get back to Konoha and ask everyone what they think."

"Madara said he was going to start a war." Temari replied. "This is no time to take things slow."

Yamato nodded. "I think everyone will agree, let's continue as if you were Hokage, Kakashi-senpai. It's too dangerous to take out time and let the Akatsuki and Madara get the upper hand."

"Well, I guess you're right. Thanks."

I raised a hand, leaning lazily over Masashi as he searched under the snow for grass to chew on. "Question? Since when was Kakashi nominated for Hokage? I didn't get to vote."

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Uh, it was when Tsunade was put in a coma. I only got word of it recently that the representatives asked for me to be Hokage, but Danzou was chosen. I… don't think you _get_ to vote, Shi."

I frowned. "No fun."

The group turned towards Naruto then and I sighed quietly, knowing that he was pretty upset about Sasuke.

"…So about Sasuke…"

Yamato sighed. "If he attacked the summit…"

"Naruto." Gaara spoke up, seriously. "Just so you know, this will be a war to protect the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. In other words, you. Shi has also been added into this group—"

I raised my hand again. "Not of my own will, mind you."

Gaara ignored me and went on. "For the sake of the ninja world, and as Kazekage, I will guard you with my life. If as a member of Akatsuki, Sasuke Uchiha stands in the way of the ninja coalition, I will show no mercy."

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and I sighed quietly.

"Sasuke doesn't even see you. He longs only for his own darkness." Gaara explained, worrying Naruto. "Naruto, you told me you would become Hokage. I have become Kazekage." He walked forward and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "If you are prepared to bear the title of Kage, then do what you must as Sasuke's friend."

Naruto took a moment, but used his arm to push Gaara's off, making me frown. _He's having a tough time and I get that, but he needs to understand that he's not the only one trying to carry this burden. Gaara, Sakura, Kakashi, and even myself. None of us actually want to kill him, but if one life means saving hundreds of thousands, then…_

"We've said what we came to say. Let's go, Gaara." Temari said, stopping us all. "We're heading back to our village now. Kakashi Hatake, Suna will act on the assumption that you are Hokage. I pray there won't be any miscommunication."

"Roger." Kakashi replied, as I stretched and straightened up on Masashi.

"I better head back to the village then and pass along the information about Danzou. I'd stay, but I believe I will be of more use there dealing with the flow of information."

Kakashi nodded. "That'd probably be best."

I bobbed my head back, turning Masashi so that I was facing the forest, glancing over my shoulder at Kakashi.

"Stay safe."

He smiled at me. "You too."


End file.
